


Morix: Quiet after the Hurricane

by digitaldreams



Series: Morix [1]
Category: Original Work, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: Morix, Not Beta Read, Slow Burn, aka none, cross-posted on ff and wattpad, i swear i love my kids despite how much i torture them, i'll give out credit in the first chapter for all the characters, some of my friends that aren't on ao3 own some of these characters, the aa name is solely for the structure of the story, this has barely any canon characters in it, welcome to the lovely cross-post of the century
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2019-08-02 06:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 62
Words: 307,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16300217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitaldreams/pseuds/digitaldreams
Summary: Morix Law Offices comes off as a regular agency to many, but the truth is far from what it appears. After Cotoli Morix, a well-known lawyer in the area, invites Deirdre Brigit and Lily Shield to join his agency to work alongside him, Chrysalis Starr, and Yuri Rinko, the newcomers begin to suspect that things are not what they seem. The mysterious spy known simply as the Oracle of the Law keeps popping up in nearly ever case taken on by the members of the agency, leaving them all wondering who it could possibly be.  Each new murder leaves them more perplexed than ever before as the mystery complicates itself further. It seems the only way to quell the chaos is to figure out who the Oracle is, but is that even possible? And if their identity is revealed, what consequences will it have?It's up to the agency to bring about quiet after the hurricane despite the impossible odds that they're combatting.





	1. Turnabout Ignition, Part 1

"Are you here yet? I know you said you'd be a bit late, but..." __

_"I'm just outside. Hang on, I'm coming in. What are you do-AAAAAAAAAAH!"_

"V-Venus?! Are you okay?! Venus!"

_"_ _D-Don't... Don't come out here..."_

"No, I'm coming out there! Please tell me you'll be okay!"

" _I... I'm sorry... I can't..."_

"Venus! No... Venus!"

**February 13**

**Defendant Lobby**

**No. 1 9:45 AM**

**Lily Shield**

Of all the places I expected to be this morning, let me tell you, the courthouse was not the one I had thought of. I mean, sure, I had anticipated coming here soon, but not today! Man, there were so many butterflies in my stomach... If only I knew how to dispel them. I would if I could.

Okay, let me get you up to speed. My name is Lily Shield. I'm an attorney at law, though I'm a new one. I just got my badge recently, so I haven't been to court at all yet. Despite this, I have been hired by a lawyer, one somewhat well known in the area. His name is Cotoli Morix. He told me that my first day was set to be in a month or so, but he ended up calling me out early, asking me to come in today. I didn't know why, as he hadn't explained that in his call, but he had to know what he was doing. Somebody with this sort of reputation had to know what he was planning to do.

I smoothed out the wrinkles in my pink dress, which reached my knees. A red belt was tied around my waist, forming a small bow in the back. I had white tights on with black flats as well. My brown hair was as curly as it usually was, though a few loose strands had gotten near my sapphire eyes. I brushed it away and tucked it behind the pink rose clip I had in my hair near my left ear. Once I was done messing with my hair, I began to fiddle with my lawyer's badge, which was pinned to my dress just beside a silver locket I kept around my neck. In my haste this morning, I had forgot to grab my other necklace, so my chest felt somewhat bare, but there was no time to dash home and grab it since I lived so far away.

"Where is he...?" I asked myself under my breath, praying that Mr. Morix was around here somewhere. I hadn't seen him yet, which was sort of surprising. Not many people were at the courthouse this morning, and even if it was swarmed, Mr. Morix was kind of a sore thumb. He was incredibly tall, about a foot taller than me, so he easily would have stuck out.

After glancing around for a little while longer, I finally spotted him. He was just now entering the room, but he wasn't alone. There was a young woman about my age standing with him along with a teenaged boy. They were all talking conversationally, but I could tell that something was amiss from the dark and hollow look that was hidden inside Mr. Morix's azure eyes.

Mr. Morix himself had spiky black hair that was edged in a blue hue. There was one segment of it that bobbed behind his neck, this part being white with a blue part. A rogue strand of hair stuck up, this one being tipped in both blue and gray. He had a black suit on with a white shirt under his jacket. His shoes were gray and shone dully in the overhead lighting. The tie on his suit was blue and hung loosely. Where stature was concerned, he was tall and thin, looking sort of like a noodle, in an odd sort of way.

The woman he was standing with had lengthy brown hair that was stick straight. Her eyes were brown as well. She had a white shirt on with a formal black jacket along with a small bow. She had black trousers to match her jacket alongside heels that gave her a few extra inches of vertical height. A watch was tied around her wrist, and from the looks of it, the watch was rather fancy and expensive.

Finally, there was the teenaged boy with the two of them. He had bright blue eyes that were staring at the ground. His hair was blonde and curled and reached his shoulders. He had a white shirt on that was adorned with blue patterns that looked rather fancy in my eyes. A ruby was attached to the collar of his shirt. He had matching white shorts that went with the theme of his shirt and white shoes. Despite his dressy appearance, his eyes made him out to be uneasy. He was latched onto the woman's arm. I could have sworn I saw him shaking, but I couldn't be sure from so far away. He was small when it came to height, probably not even being five feet tall.

I decided to approach the trio, figuring that I'd have to say something to them at some point. I didn't know what I was supposed to say to alert them that I was present, so I ended up saying the first word to come into my head. "Hi," I said awkwardly once I was nearby.

"Oh! You must be Ms. Lily Shield. It's a pleasure to see you," Mr. Morix replied, a warm smile on his face. Despite this, I could tell something was bothering him by the look in his eyes.

"Is this the one you were talking about?" the woman questioned, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "You mentioned that you had hired somebody new, but I didn't know she'd be coming here today. I expected your sister to be standing with you at the defense bench."

"Unfortunately, she couldn't make it, so I called Lily here in early," Mr. Morix explained to her. He turned to me once he had finished speaking. "Allow me to introduce these two. This is-"

"Polly Burke. Prosecutor," the woman cut in. When I looked closer, I could see her prosecutor's badge glistening on her suit jacket. "As for this little guy right here, this is Anton Burke. He's my adoptive son."

"He's also the suspect in this case," Mr. Morix told me. "Speaking of, how much do you know about the case at hand? I wasn't able to explain very much of it to you over the phone..."

"I... I don't know anything aside from the fact that there's a trial and it's starting soon," I said with an awkward laugh. "We have a little bit of time, though, so could you explain what exactly is going on?"

"It's... It's a murder case for one," Mr. Morix began. "A young woman was stabbed to death in her car. Shortly afterwards, the car was set ablaze. Anton here was arrested after he stumbled upon the burning car and a witness that was on the scene. A second witness found him there and called the police, whereupon he was arrested for murder. That brings us up to now."

"What about motive?" I questioned. "That's usually a critical part of a murder trial, right?"

"If you've been watching enough TV lately, you'll probably have heard about it at some point or another," Prosecutor Burke said. "Have you ever heard of-"

"Defense... Are you ready to enter the courtroom?"

A bailiff with purple hair appeared at the side of Mr. Morix. "The defendant needs to come in now as well. The trial is about to get started," he explained. I noticed the same faraway sadness that was in Mr. Morix's gaze, but I decided to remain silent on the subject.

"We'll be in there momentarily," Mr. Morix told him. The bailiff nodded curtly and walked away. The older lawyer turned to me not long after. "Sorry I wasn't able to tell you much. I'm sure you'll learn all you need to as the trial goes on. Just be thankful you aren't the lead lawyer this time. Going into trials unprepared is never fun."

"I'll try and help out the best I can," I said, a smile appearing on my face. However, despite my outwards expression of happiness, I was so nervous on the inside. My heart was pounding at the mere thought of entering a courtroom behind the defense bench. I had never done this before. Not only was I new to the profession, but I was nowhere near prepared for this.

Even so, there was nothing I could do about it now. All I could do was try my best and hope that it didn't go horribly wrong!

Here's to hoping it doesn't go horribly wrong, even though it somehow probably will, even with a well-known lawyer like Mr. Morix by my side.

**February 13**

**Courtroom No. 1**

**10:00 AM**

**Cotoli Morix**

Once Lily and I had arrived in the courtroom, I glanced around at my surroundings. I hadn't been here in quite a while. It had been a month or two since my last case, so I wasn't too rusty, but I would have to tread carefully. In a murder trial like this one, mistakes weren't going to be tolerated by the judge or prosecution.

Speaking of the prosecution, there was a man standing behind the bench on the other side of the courtroom. He had dark brown hair, similar in color to Lily's, as a matter of fact. His eyes were blue like hers as well. Where clothes were concerned, he wore all black. He had a black jacket over a shirt of the same color with matching trousers and shoes. The only segment of his outfit that wasn't black was the red bandanna that was tied around his neck. Judging by the look in his eyes, he wasn't going to be the type to go easy on me. I didn't mind that, of course. It just meant that I wouldn't be able to slack off either.

"I didn't know Robbie was going to be prosecuting this case," came the whisper of Lily beside me.

I turned to face her, a frown appearing on my lips. "Robbie?" I questioned.

"He's my older brother," Lily explained. "Roberto Shield is his full name, but I just call him Robbie. I didn't realize he would be on this case, though. He told me he was going to be prosecuting a case this morning, but what are the odds it would be the same one I was on?"

"Court is now in session for the trial of Anton Burke," the judge said, leaving Lily and I to end our conversation there. The man looked between me and Prosecutor Shield. This wasn't the judge I was used to (a woman who went by the name of Judge Diaphan), so I had to check the nameplate on his desk for his name. It said it was Ervan Frost. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," I told him with a simple nod.

"The prosecution is also ready," Prosecutor Shield said next. He noticed Lily standing next to me and shot her a small smile, which she responded to with a grin of her own. I could sense her nervousness, so I shot her a reassuring smile once she had looked my way once again.

"I trust you have an opening statement prepared to give the court, Prosecutor Shield?" Judge Frost questioned of the man opposite me.

"Of course, Your Honor," the prosecutor responded. He pulled up a piece of paper and began to read from it. "The case held today is to find the murderer of one Venus Rinko, a teenager who was taking a gap year before going to college starting in the autumn. Yesterday, Venus was found in the parking lot of Morix Law Offices inside of her car. She had been stabbed in the chest with a small knife. While she survived the initial attack, she ended up ultimately dying by smoke inhalation. Venus' car had been set ablaze by her killer, which badly burned her body. She was only able to be identified thanks to a witness who happened to be on the phone with her at the time. Alongside said witness, the defendant was found at the scene of the crime. Since the other witness had an alibi, Anton Burke was arrested on suspicion of the murder and arson. Today's trial is being held to prove him guilty of it."

"Thank you," Judge Frost nodded. "Is there anything you would like to add to that, Mr. Morix?"

"The defense maintains its position that the defendant in this case is innocent," I announced. "If you don't mind my asking, Prosecutor Shield, were you able to come up with any sort of motive the defendant may have for killing the victim?"

"I presume that you have heard of the Oracle of the Law, Mr. Morix. This mysterious figure has been in the news quite a bit in the past two years or so, as they act as a legal spy who infiltrates organizations to expose information on any wrongdoers within a given group to the public. Quite a few criminals have been locked up recently at the hands of Oracle, though nobody has determined who they are. An online forum was discovered recently that the defendant had looked at stating that the Oracle was likely Venus Rinko or somebody relating to her. Many have been threatening Oracle for years now, saying that they'll kill them once their identity comes to light. The prosecution believes that the defendant thought the victim was the one and killed her over it," Prosecutor Shield explained.

"I see..." I murmured, placing one hand on my chin and nodding. "Alright. I understand. Even so, I still believe the defendant is innocent, and I intend to prove it today in this courtroom."

"We'll just have to see who wins this battle of wits, then," Prosecutor Shield said. "Now, if there are no other objections, I would like to call the first witness to the stand."

"Go on, Prosecutor Shield," Judge Frost instructed of him.

"The prosecution calls Shayla Willows to the witness stand!" Prosecutor Shield declared.

At Prosecutor Shield's instruction, a young girl appeared at the witness stand. Her hair was black and stood out when compared to her ghostly pale skin. Her eyes were blue and downcast. She had a black fan in her hand that was adorned with blue and purple designs. She had a blue shirt on and a purple skirt that reached just below the knees. Her shoes were black ballet flats on top of socks of the same color. She was glancing around the courtroom in a panic, fearful of the people around her. Briefly, she met my eyes, biting her lip nervously. She fanned herself as her eyes transitioned to the ground.

"Please state your name and occupation, witness," the judge told her.

"M-My name... My name is Shayla Willows... I'm an art student..." the girl told the court. "S-Sorry... I-I'm a bit nervous..."

"You're doing just fine, witness," I assured her. "Just try your hardest and don't push yourself any further than necessary."

"A-Alright..." Ms. Willows stuttered.

"When I was explaining the crime during my opening statement, I told you that there was another witness found at the scene of the crime along with the defendant. Ms. Willows here is the one that was found with him at the scene of the crime when another witness arrived and called the police," Prosecutor Shield explained. "However, you'll have to be careful with her. She's easily frightened."

"We'll be as gentle as possible in our cross-examination," Lily piped in from beside me.

"Now, witness, please go on and explain what you saw the day of the crime," Prosecutor Shield said. "But before you do, allow me to give the defense a copy of the autopsy report. I had neglected to mention it before, so I apologize."

After receiving my copy of the report, I flipped it open to the first page so Lily and I could read it. She peeked at it from over my shoulder with a small frown on her face.

_Name: Venus Rinko_

_Age: 18_

_Gender: Female_

_Cause of Death: Smoke inhalation after being trapped in burning car_

_Time of Death: 2:45 PM_

_Other: Victim was stabbed before death. Her body was also burned beyond the point of recognition once she had died._

_~ Jasper Kent_

"That's a gruesome way to go out," Lily murmured.

"I have to agree," I said with a small nod.

"If the defense is done muttering, it's time for the witness to begin her testimony," Prosecutor Shield cut in.

"We're finished. Go on, Ms. Willows," I instructed.

"A-Alright..." Ms. Willows whispered.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ What I Saw ~**

_\- "I-I was called by Venus to go and see her... We were supposed to meet in the parking lot of Morix Law Offices yesterday..._

_\- "I heard something from outside, since I was waiting in the lobby..."_

_\- "W-When I got outside, I saw a b-burning car!" - "There was a person inside when I first noticed it..."_

_\- "Without a doubt, i-it had to be Venus! I-I could tell just by looking that it was her!"_

Once Ms. Willows had finished her testimony, I decided to turn to Lily. "This is a rather simple testimony, I believe. I think that you'd be able to take care of it if you wanted to try," I told her. "In fact, why don't you give the cross-examination a shot?"

"M-Me?!" Lily exclaimed in shock. "But you're the lead lawyer on this case! I'd probably find a way to mess this up anyways..."

"I believe in you. Just stay level-headed and focus on what you know and what she's saying. You'll stumble upon a contradiction if you concentrate," I said.

"Well... If you really want me to try it... I guess it wouldn't hurt," Lily murmured, though I could tell that she was still a bit worried.

"Why did you choose Morix Law Offices as your meeting place in the first place?" Judge Frost questioned, halting our conversation in its tracks.

"Y-You see, Venus worked there, before she died... She said that it would be the safest place for us to discuss something serious... But she never got the chance to tell me what she wanted to talk to me about..." Ms. Willows explained, fanning herself lightly.

"Wait... The victim worked at your agency?" Lily questioned, turning to me with her mouth wide in shock.

"I'm afraid so," I told her with a sad smile. "She was one of my main investigative partners... We've been working together for the past two years now. While she was on her gap year, she was going to help me out with even more cases to try and further her experience before she went off to college and learn to be a detective."

"I... I'm sorry for your loss..." Lily said quietly, looking down at the ground. "It must have been a shock..."

"It was... But now, we have other things to worry about. I don't believe Anton did it, and it is my every intention to prove it. This is my chance to find the truth and get the killer convicted for Venus' sake." My right hand clenched into a fist as I stared down at the bench. I didn't have time for grief. Once this case was solved, I wouldn't have to worry for Anton's safety and I could mourn Venus all that I wanted.

"It's time for the cross-examination, defense. If you would be so kind as to begin..." the judge prompted, looking to Lily and I.

"You have this, Lily," I assured her, placing a hand on her arm. "I'm confident you'll be fine."

"If you say so..." Lily murmured.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ What I Saw ~**

_\- "I-I was called by Venus to go and see her... We were supposed to meet in the parking lot of Morix Law Offices yesterday..._

_\- "I heard something from outside, since I was waiting in the lobby..."_

_\- "W-When I got outside, I saw a b-burning car!"_

_\- "There was a person inside when I first noticed it..."_

_\- "Without a doubt, i-it had to be Venus! I-I could tell just by looking that it was her!"_

"Objection!"

I couldn't help but smile to myself at her accomplishment. I was positive that she had seen what I had in Ms. Willows' testimony judging by the proud look in her eyes.

"Witness, I'm afraid that there is something wrong with your testimony there," Lily declared. "You said that you could identify the victim just by looking at her, knowing that it was Venus Rinko?"

"Y-Yes..." Ms. Willows said with a nod. "I-Is there something wrong?"

"I'd like to refer you to the autopsy report. It said that her body was burned beyond recognition to the point that it would be impossible to tell who she was," Lily explained. "Which means that you claiming that you knew it was her is nothing short of impossible!"

A gasp left Ms. Willows' lips. She began fanning herself furiously, biting her lip as well. Her eyes stared around the courtroom in a dodgy way, avoiding any and all eye contact.

"I'm sure that I can easily explain this contradiction to the court," Prosecutor Shield declared. "You see, she is the one who identified the body for the police since she knew the identity of the victim the entire time. Since the corpse was so horribly burned, we relied on her testimony to figure out who the deceased was."

"How did she know who it was?" Lily questioned. "Did she have some sort of outside knowledge or something?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," said Prosecutor Shield. "Ms. Willows here was on the phone with the victim at the time of her death and thus heard the murder before going out to see the burned body."

"I see... That's an interesting way to witness a murder..." Lily murmured.

"We could have her tell you what happened while she was on the call with the victim, if that's what you would like," Prosecutor Shield said.

"I'd like to hear about that sort of thing as well," the judge cut in. "The witness will testify about her call with the victim at the time of the murder."

"A-Alright..." Ms. Willows nodded.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ My Call with Venus ~**

_\- "I was waiting in the lobby of Morix Law Offices while on the phone with her..."_

_\- "She suddenly started screaming and warned me not to come outside for my own safety..."_

_\- "I-I went out anyways since I was worried about her, thinking something had happened..."_

_-_ _"When I got there, she was already dead and the car had been set on fire..."_

_\- "The line had gone dead while I was distracted..."_

_\- "Th-There was nobody else there when I saw her body..."_

"I-It's awful that a young girl as kind as you had to hear such a terrible thing..." Judge Frost said to himself with a shake of his head.

"I-I just wish Venus was still here... She was my best friend, but now that she's gone..." Ms. Willows' voice trailed off.

"Try and make this cross-examination as quick and painless as possible, defense," the judge instructed of Lily and me. We both nodded in sync.

"You can do this one. I don't see anything that sticks out immediately about her testimony," Lily told me.

"Alright. I have it all under control," I said. I had already sensed something off about Ms. Willows' statements, so now it was just a matter of showing what it was.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ My Call with Venus ~**

_\- "I was waiting in the lobby of Morix Law Offices while on the phone with her..."_

_\- "She suddenly started screaming and warned me not to come outside for my own safety..."_

_\- "I-I went out anyways since I was worried about her, thinking something had happened..."_

_\- "When I got there, she was already dead and the car had been set on fire..."_

_\- "The line had gone dead while I was distracted..."_

_\- "Th-There was nobody else there when I saw her body..."_

"Hold it!"

"You're positive that nobody else was there?" I questioned of her. "I believe the prosecution mentioned earlier that there was one other person at the crime scene, one Anton Burke."

"H-He arrived not long after... He had heard me scream upon finding the body and ran up to us... He had been walking by at the time, though I don't know where he was going..." Ms. Willows told me.

"There was one other person who found the crime scene, was there not?" I asked next. "Prosecutor Shield mentioned a man who called the police after finding you and the defendant with the burning car."

"Th-There was no such person there!" came the cry of Ms. Willows. "I-It was just me and the defendant! Nobody else was present at the time!"

"You seem to have gotten rather nervous all of a sudden," Lily frowned. "Is something the matter? You've grown rather pale."

"Nothing is wrong!" Ms. Willows shouted next. She was violently fanning herself now, her hair being pushed away from her face with each and every movement of her fan. "I-I'm telling you the truth!"

Prosecutor Shield looked to be a bit confused now, though he was doing his best to hide it. "I assume that the witness is just mistaken. I highly doubt that she means that. Besides, it is possible that she is simply suffering from a lapse in her memory," he said. "When the police arrived on the scene of the crime, she was in the middle of a panic attack, so it is possible that she didn't realize the other person was present in her panic. On top of that, witnessing something like this is sure to mess with someone's head."

"This means that the witness' credibility has now been called into question. There is a chance that she has made other mistakes in her testimony that could lead to an incorrect verdict for the defendant and the killer walking free," Lily said, playing with a strand section of her chocolate brown hair. "I don't know if trusting her is the best idea if we want to find the truth behind all this."

"I'm afraid that the defense's assistant is correct," Judge Frost announced with a small nod. "Ms. Willows may have gotten other things about the crime wrong, though I doubt she did it on purpose. She seems far too nice to attempt something like that."

"The judge is going to have to be careful if he wants to continue to have an open mind about all this... Somebody could take advantage of it easily," Lily told me. "We'll have to make sure Ms. Willows isn't trying to do something like that."

"I don't think she is, if you want the truth. She seems legitimately shaken up about Venus' death. Besides, I've seen her a few times around the agency. She's come by to see Venus a time or two. I could tell that she really did care for her and still does care. She wants to find the real killer," I told Lily. "For now, we'll have to trust her. She's the main witness that we have, so we'll have to be sure to take advantage of her testimony the best that we can."

"Are there any other questions that you wish to ask Ms. Willows at the moment?" Prosecutor Shield questioned of me and Lily.

"I'm not sure, honestly," Lily admitted. "I mean, we need to know more about the case, but what do we ask about? There's so much that we don't yet know, such as why the victim was suspected of being Oracle..."

"Maybe that would be a good place to start. Ms. Willows was closer with Venus than most people, so she might have a few of the answers that we're seeking," I suggested.

"Do you have any ideas as to why she'd be thought of as Oracle?" Lily asked.

"I'm afraid not," I replied with a shake of my head. "I've known Venus since before it hit the news, and we've grown rather close. If she was hiding a secret like that, she would have told me about it, and yet, she never did. However, others thought that there was a chance she was involved, if she wasn't the one behind it all, and Ms. Willows might have some ideas if I don't know anything."

"So we're shifting to the murder motive now," Prosecutor Shield observed. "I take it we'll be returning to this line of questioning regarding what the witness saw later on?"

"Yes. As for now, we need to learn more about the motive and why anybody would suspect Venus. This could prove to be important in finding the real killer," I said. "In fact, I suspect that it will point us to the person who killed Venus. If it wasn't Anton and it wasn't Ms. Willows, it must have been a third party, and if we can learn more about the motive, we might be able to apply it to them using what we learn here. What Ms. Willows witnessed will be a huge help as well, as she'll be able to tell us who else was at the scene of the crime."

"In that case, let's get started," Lily smiled.


	2. Turnabout Ignition, Part 2

**February 13**

**Courtroom No. 1**

**11:00 AM**

**Cotoli Morix**

"Was there anything you remember Venus saying that made you think that she was somehow related to the Oracle of the Law?" I questioned of Ms. Willows, who was still fanning herself quietly.

"Before we continue, I wish to submit this newspaper clipping to the court," Prosecutor Shield declared. "It describes what the Oracle has done so far. It only names what members of the everyday public know, which means that it's not the most detailed article in the world. Someone in law enforcement would likely have more information."

"What is listed as having been done by Oracle in the article?" Judge Frost questioned. "After you explain the article, you can tell us about what you know as a prosecutor."

"It says that Oracle has broken into quite a few places by this point. They have stolen crucial pieces of evidence from places like the Prosecutor's Office to expose dealings of evidence forgeries by prosecutors trying to get a win against the truth," Prosecutor Shield began. "On top of that, it mentions the case from a year ago in which Oracle was injured in the eye of the public."

"What happened back then?" Lily questioned. "You'll have to excuse me for forgetting. I know it was on the news, but it seems to have slipped my mind."

"Oracle was exposed while doing work in a disguise. The person who exposed them, a man now in prison for murder, scratched the back of their hands with a knife, leaving scars that likely won't ever fade," I explained. "That was the first and last time that Oracle was ever spotted and exposed in public. Since then, it appears that they've been much more cautious with the work they've been carrying out. No other information has been brought up since."

"Because of their work with exposures of corrupt dealings, many people are out for blood at this point, fearing that they'll be next or angered that somebody they know met a negative fate due to an exposure," Prosecutor Shield continued. "Oracle has been forced to be as secretive as possible because of this."

"I take it this isn't the first time that Oracle has been a motive for murder," Judge Frost said, a frown on his face. "Who would have expected something like that to explode into such a huge story?"

"I-I don't know how Venus could have possibly been involved with Oracle... It makes no sense... What would she have even been doing? Helping them break into places? Covering up for them? I don't know if I even want to find out if that was the case... I-I really hope this is completely wrong and that Venus had nothing to do with it..." Ms. Willows whispered, continued to fan herself. "V-Venus... How could you do this...?"

"We have yet to determine if the victim was really involved with it. All we know is that somebody in this area thought so and created a forum online about it," I told her. "There's always the chance that she had nothing to do with it at all, that she is really innocent. We'll just have to do our best to find out more."

"Well... Alright," Ms. Willows said with a small nod. "Where should we start in figuring out the truth...? I want to know it as soon as possible..."

"Did the victim ever seem suspicious in general when the Oracle was brought up?" Lily questioned from next to me.

"No... She barely ever mentioned it, saying that whoever did it must be pretty gutsy for thinking that it's a good idea..." Ms. Willows said. "I couldn't imagine her really being involved..."

"Robbi-erm, Prosecutor Shield, could you tell us about what you know as a member of the legal world? Lily asked next. "You said that you'd tell us what you know since you're a prosecutor and naturally you know more than a simple tabloid, so please go on. We need all the information we can get to find out the truth behind Oracle and the victim."

"Oracle is a legal spy who uses their network of assistants to get information on people suspected of having involvement in underhanded dealings such as evidence forgeries, blackmail, and getting away with crimes. For a little while, back when it was first getting started, nobody knew anything about it. The police were scratching their heads in confusion as to who was doing all of it. That only lasted a few months, though," Prosecutor Shield explained.

"I believe I remember when Oracle was truly announced to the public, come to think of it," Judge Frost said, his eyes wide. "It was about two years ago, right?"

"It was during an interview with a local attorney known as Jackson Blocker. He was the most well-known lawyer in the area for a while, which got his large agency quite a bit of attention. However, he has since passed away, which means we couldn't get any information from him," Prosecutor Shield continued. "He revealed it on a press conference full of reporters curious about what had been happening with the exposures. Blocker slipped up and mentioned that it was the work of someone known as Oracle.

"It wasn't until a little under a year later that we received more information. Blocker had been killed after he denied somebody information about Oracle. The killer revealed in court that Oracle was female. Aside from that, not much is known about our mystery spy," Prosecutor Shield finished.

"I believe that you have neglected to mention the scars that Oracle got during that murder trial. The killer proclaimed that a witness to the crime, one Estelle Burns, was the Oracle of the Law and grabbed her by the arm before badly cutting the back of both her hands with a knife, leaving behind permanent scars," I told the court. "I saw it with my own eyes as the attorney on the case. Not only did the victim of the current case never have scars on the back of her hands, but she was also present as my assistant during that trial, which gives her an alibi for receiving the knife scars. If you want to hear it from someone else a bit closer to the Prosecutor's Office, you can talk to the current chief prosecutor. He stood as the prosecution leader during that case, which means that he'll also be able to tell you about it clearly."

"It sounds to me like this means that the prosecution's motive doesn't hold up!" the judge exclaimed.

"And what exactly makes you say that?" Prosecutor Shield asked, his eyes narrowing in the direction of the judge.

"If the victim isn't Oracle, then your motive no longer makes sense about people thinking she was Oracle," Judge Frost explained.

"My motive has nothing to do with the victim being the one or not. Instead, it's a matter of what the defendant thought as he was committing the crime," Prosecutor Shield said. "Knowing that the victim was not Oracle doesn't change a thing. My motive proposition still stands as strong as it did before, so you don't need to worry about it any longer."

"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong, Prosecutor Shield," I smirked, my arms crossed. "This information is what will shift the suspicion away from the defendant, as there's no way that it will still stand firm when taking what I just said into account."

"And how does it invalidate my motive idea?" Prosecutor Shield questioned.

"Anyone who works at the Prosecutor's Office will be aware of the fact that the defendant is close with the head of the office, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke," I began to explain. "I highly doubt that he could be as close with Chief Prosecutor Bespoke as he is and not be aware of the details of that fateful case."

"I... I do know that the defendant is a close friend of Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, yes... I suppose that your words may have some merit to them..." Prosecutor Shield muttered. He began gripping the red bandanna around his neck, angry and frustrated.

"So in a nutshell, the defendant is close with the head of the Prosecutor's Office, the one who prosecuted the case you mentioned last year involving Oracle being scarred," Judge Frost started. "Since he's so close, the chances of him not knowing the details of the case, including the victim's inability to be the Oracle of the Law, are little to none. That means that the prosecution's motive proposition no longer holds any power."

"Exactly," came the smile of Lily from beside me. "That sure was some good reasoning, Mr. Morix. You seem to have done your research when it comes to this case."

"I guess you could say that," I smirked to myself. "I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm an expert on all things involving Oracle, but I know enough to be knowledgeable for this trial."

"If the motive has been proven to be incorrect, perhaps we should call up Ms. Willows to testify again. We've destroyed one part of the prosecution's argument against Mr. Burke, so the witness testimony is next. So far, she hasn't said anything too incriminating against him, which means that the real fight hasn't started yet," Lily said. "We could ask her to talk about when she saw him. That might have something we could use against her. Since Ms. Willows has already been proven questionable as far as credibility, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch from here on out to prove that something involving Mr. Burke's presence at the crime scene is a lie."

I nodded my agreement. "The defense requests that the witness, Ms. Shayla Willows, resume testimony, this time talking about her encounter with the defendant at the scene of the murder," I declared to the court.

The judge nodded as well. "I see no issues with this request. Prosecutor Shield, do you object to what the defense is proposing?" he questioned, focusing his attention on Lily's older brother on the opposing side of the courtroom.

"The prosecution has no objections," he said simply. I could tell that he was still a bit miffed about his motive having been destroyed, but I couldn't dwell on this. In order to prove that Anton was innocent, we would have to keep pressing forward without looking back too much.

Not long after, Ms. Willows was back at the witness stand. She was fanning herself nervously, biting her lip while doing so. "Wh-What is it you want me to do...? I-I was a bit spaced out..." she murmured, looking down quietly. "V-Venus wouldn't work with Oracle, right...? Of course she wouldn't..."

"We can't say for sure if she was working with Oracle or not, but we can say that she wasn't the one behind it all," I assured her. "You don't need to worry about that much, Ms. Willows."

"I-I guess that's a good thing..." Ms. Willows stammered, still fanning herself rapidly.

"You have been requested to testify about seeing the defendant at the scene of the murder. If you don't mind, you need to begin your testimony now," Prosecutor Shield instructed of her.

"Alright... You promise you won't get too mad at me if I make a mistake...?" Ms. Willows asked, looking to me. I could see genuine fear in her eyes, which I admit pulled at my heartstrings. I could tell that she was truly upset thinking about Venus' murder on top of her potentially working with Oracle. Deep down, I felt a bit bad for her. She didn't want anything like this to happen, and yet here she was, testifying about having seen a murder. Poor girl.

"Be gentle on her, alright, defense?" Judge Frost questioned, looking to me with narrowed eyes.

"I'll hold back when I can," I agreed with a small nod. I couldn't make any promises, but I doubted that the judge was going to leave me alone unless I agreed to be careful with Ms. Willows. Even if she wasn't aware of it, Ms. Willows' shy demeanor seemed to have the judge wrapped around her little finger, so I would have to agree to his whims.

"Okay... H-Here I go..." came the nervous whisper of Ms. Willows.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ Anton and the Crime Scene ~**

_\- "I had just come across the body when that blonde boy arrived..."_

_\- "He had been walking by at the time, probably going somewhere nearby, maybe the Prosecutor's Office since you guys are saying he's there a lot..."_

_\- "A-After he saw me and the burning car, he walked over and put an arm around me, since I was crying..."_

_\- "I was upset since... Y-You know... Venus was gone now... He seemed to want to help..."_

_\- "I-It was just us at the scene of the crime! N-No one else! S-Someone else being there would just..."_

_\- "It would be ridiculous! I promise you that it was just us!"_

"Witness, are you alright?" Judge Frost questioned. "You seem to be breathing rather quickly."

"Do you need to sit down?" Prosecutor Shield asked, worry flashing over his face for a brief moment.

"No... I'll be fine... The sooner that... that we can get this over with, the sooner... I'll be able to leave..." Ms. Willows said. Now that it had been mentioned by the judge and Prosecutor Shield, I noticed that Ms. Willows was breathing at a rather rapid pace. It didn't take a genius to be able to see that something had gone seriously wrong.

"If this keeps up, she might end up passing out," Lily hissed at me from my side. "She's hyperventilating like mad now. It seems to me that she's on the brink of having a panic attack."

"If you ask me, the best way to calm her down will be to figure out the core of her stress and anxiety. If we can figure that out and assure her that it'll all be fine, then she'll likely relax and be a bit more willing to tell us more about what really happened when the crime took place. I can tell that she's holding something back for some reason or another, and we need to figure out what that is," I told her.

"I bet that what's scaring her is what she's hiding," Lily said next. "Unlocking the truth will definitely help her out mentally and physically. She's trembling violently now." Lily pointed her finger at Ms. Willows, where I noticed that she was correct. Ms. Willows was in fact shaking, crossing her arms and hugging herself nervously. Her fan was sitting discarded on the witness stand in front of her.

"Defense, do get this cross-examination over with as quickly as you can for the sake of the witness," Judge Frost instructed.

"Alright, consider it done," I said with a nod.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ Anton and the Crime Scene ~**

_\- "I had just come across the body when that blonde boy arrived..."_

_\- "He had been walking by at the time, probably going somewhere nearby, maybe the Prosecutor's Office since you guys are saying he's there a lot..."_

_\- "A-After he saw me and the burning car, he walked over and put an arm around me, since I was crying..."_

_\- "I was upset since... Y-You know... Venus was gone now... He seemed to want to help..."_

_\- "I-It was just us at the scene of the crime! N-No one else! S-Someone else being there would just..."_

_\- "It would be ridiculous! I promise you that it was just us!"_

"Objection!"

"You sure do seem to be insisting that it was just you and the defendant at the scene of the crime," I noted. "If you ask me, you're almost saying it a bit too much, like you're trying to prove a point or convince yourself that this is the case."

"Th-That isn't it at all!" Ms. Willows cried out. She was still hugging herself nervously, looking down at the ground.

"I'm afraid that you have contradicted what you have said, or rather, what the prosecution said," I continued to say. "The prosecution said that there was a second witness besides you at the scene of the crime, and this witness was not the defendant in any way, shape, or form."

"What... What do you mean...?" Ms. Willows asked. I suddenly noticed that she had grown rather pale. "Please... Please don't keep talking... I-I'm begging you..."

"Witness, are you alright?" Judge Frost questioned. "Are you sure that you don't need to sit down?"

"I-I just want to get this over with... G-Go on, M-Mr. Morix..." Ms. Willows stuttered. "There was a second witness at the scene of the crime. That much was confirmed by the prosecution. This was also the very same witness who called the police upon finding the crime scene, which means that their existence cannot be denied. However, despite this, for some reason you are still trying to say that they do not exist. Why is that?" I asked. "Judging by your negative reaction, I doubt it's a simple slip of the tongue or gap in your memory. I get the feeling that something involving this witness is legitimately frightening you."

"No... It isn't like that... Please stop this... I-I don't want... I don't want to die..." Ms. Willows suddenly said, her voice much softer. She was swaying on her feet now from her earlier hyperventilating, still paler than she should have been. "D-Don't let me die..."

"Die? What are you talking about, witness?" Prosecutor Shield asked. His eyes had gone narrow and he was gripping madly at the bandanna around his neck. "Nobody here ever said anything about you dying. What brought this on?"

"If you were to ask me, I would say that this witness is likely being blackmailed," I suggested. "It would make sense if you thought about it with the way that things have been going recently."

"Wow, Mr. Morix! How did you come to that conclusion?" Lily asked from next to me. "I never would have guessed that. I guess it's kind of obvious now which one of us is the more experienced attorney."

"I would like an explanation as well!" Judge Frost cut in. I flinched slightly. If you asked me, there were times when judges would yell louder than he needed to. It had happened a few times between the many cases that I had seen since becoming an attorney.

"Think about it. The witness didn't mention the second witness that the prosecution brought up in her earlier testimony. On top of that, when they were brought up a few minutes ago, she began to panic. To me, that seems to be pretty strong evidence that something is wrong between this witness and the other one who called the police," I explained. "Blackmail is the first idea that comes to my mind."

"You've proven that something is wrong between Ms. Willows and the other witness. However, her getting nervous does not mean that she is being blackmailed. You're making a wild assumption based on minimal evidence," Prosecutor Shield declared. "I'd like to see some concrete proof that Ms. Willows truly is being blackmailed, though I really do doubt that could be the case."

"Ms. Willows was thrown into a panic attack upon this other witness being brought up. I believe that's evidence enough that something is seriously wrong between the two of you. I doubt that she would react in such a wild way unless the other witness seriously frightened her," I explained.

"Being afraid of someone is not the same as being blackmailed by them, defense," Prosecutor Shield retorted. "I do hope that you understand that."

"Of course. I am fully aware of this," I told him. "However, I sort of doubt that the witness would end up nearly passing out from hyperventilation if she was just 'frightened' by the witness. Ms. Willows, would you be willing to tell us about your encounter with this second witness?"

"I-I can't! I-I don't want to die!" Ms. Willows cried out. She was tearing up now and was still shaking.

"I didn't even mention the fact that she jumped to conclusions about dying if the second witness was brought up. I doubt that she'd go this far in her fear unless something was seriously wrong. I doubt a mere fright could leave her this spooked," I said next under my breath. "Ms. Willows, please take a deep breath or two. Everything is alright. You're fine now. We won't let anybody hurt you. I promise that you aren't going to die."

"You... You swear it...?" Ms. Willows questioned, looking up at me in fear from behind her fan.

"Of course," I assured her with a small smile, hoping it would make her feel a bit more relaxed. "In that case... I-I guess there wouldn't be any harm in telling you what happened..." Ms. Willows murmured before looking up. There was a determined gleam in her eyes, but I could tell that something was still bothering her. She looked over at me with a brief desperate glance before sighing. "It's a bit of a messy story..."

"Tell us all about it. We're here to find the truth behind the case, Ms. Willows," Judge Frost declared. It appeared to me that he was brushing off the fact that she had pretty much committed perjury since he found her to be so sweet. She still didn't seem to understand that he was under her spell of shyness, but I thought that was probably for the best.

"Okay... I-I was at the crime scene... I was crying over Venus being gone since I knew that she was dead... That was when Mr. Burke showed up... H-He tried to comfort me, and it almost worked... But... But that was when another man showed up... He called the police on Mr. Burke..." Ms. Willows said. "Though... That's not really the important part of this story..."

"The important part? There's more to you meeting the second witness?" Prosecutor Shield asked. "How come I never heard about this?"

"It's just as Mr. Morix says... He was blackmailing me..." Ms. Willows continued to say. "Before Mr. Burke showed up, I saw him there at the crime scene... He was setting the car on fire using a small lighter that had probably been in his pocket... When he realized I was there, he grabbed my arm and pulled a switchblade knife out of his jacket..."

"It doesn't sound like blackmail so much as it sounds like a threat," I heard the judge remark. "He threatened you into keeping quiet?"

Ms. Willows nodded. She held up her wrist, which had the outline of a knife slash on it. "He said that I would keep quiet or else... Then he cut my hand... He told me that he'd kill me if I said anything... That the next thing he'd slit would be my throat..." Ms. Willows shook her head. "I'm sorry for keeping it secret... I just didn't want to die... I hope you aren't too mad..."

"Of course not. Anybody else would act the same way if somebody was threatening them," I told her. "You did the right thing by telling us. Now, we can bring him in here and ask what he did. We'll be able to catch the criminal now, and it's all thanks to your help."

"I-I don't know if I did that much... Th-Thank you..." Ms. Willows smiled gently, her eyes meeting mine for a moment before she looked down at the ground again.

"What was the name of this other witness that seems to have threatened you?" the judge questioned, looking down at Ms. Willows.

"I don't know... I never caught his name... B-But it sounds like the prosecution might know..." Ms. Willows said quietly. "I mean, from the looks of it, Prosecutor Shield has spoken to him or something like that..."

"Do you know what his name is, prosecution?" Judge Frost asked, looking to Prosecutor Shield next.

"His name is Buff Guiy," came the reply of Prosecutor Shield. "He told me that he had called the police after seeing this witness and the defendant at the scene of the crime. I brought him here thinking that he'd be able to help us find the defendant guilty, though it seems that the tables have turned on that." He let out a small sigh and shook his head. "It seems to me that the defendant isn't at all guilty, especially after what Ms. Willows has just said about having been threatened."

"You aren't going to insist that the defendant is the one who committed the crime, Prosecutor Shield? I thought that most people of your profession would try to push that stance," Judge Frost observed.

"I've met the defendant. He's a good kid. He wouldn't hurt a fly, much less stab someone to death. This other witness, on the other hand, is much more suspicious and may very well be responsible," Prosecutor Shield explained.

"That's my Robbie! He's not ruthless at all!" Lily smiled, looking up at me with a wide grin.

"However, if I'm going to bring this Buff Guiy to the stand, I'll need time to prepare. The prosecution requests a twenty-minute recess so that I may make the necessary preparations," Prosecutor Shield said.

The judge nodded. "I believe that would be a good idea. Do you object, defense?" he asked, looking to me.

"The defense has no objections. It would be best to hold a recess not only so that Prosecutor Shield can prepare his witness for the courtroom but also so that Ms. Willows can take a moment to calm down. She still looks rather shaken up," I told him.

He nodded his agreement. "I believe that would be for the best. Ms. Willows does look dizzy and ill," he observed, looking at the black-haired woman, who was fanning herself nervously. "That being said, court is now adjourned for a recess. We will resume the trial in twenty minutes!" came the cry of the judge before he brought down his gavel to cue us to leave for the time being.

**February 13**

**Defendant Lobby No. 1**

**12:30 PM**

**Lily Shield**

Once the court had gone into recess, I wandered over to a nearby couch. Mr. Morix had wandered off to speak with Ms. Willows, so I was left alone. Mr. Burke was talking with his adoptive mother nearby. I wasn't even sure if he was speaking, truth be told. He was far too quiet to hear.

"You're working with Mr. Morix, right?"

I looked up to see a girl standing before me. She had lengthy black hair that was tipped with white. Part of her hair covered up her right eye. Her other eye was a deep blue color. A light aqua bow was in her hair, the same color as the shirt she wore underneath her black jacket. Her leggings and tennis shoes were black as well, though her shoes had white highlights. From what I could tell, the girl was rather short, even more so than me, which is saying quite a bit, let me tell you.

"Y-Yes... What about it?" I asked of the newcomer. She had come out of nowhere, quite honestly. Well, either that or I had been a bit too focused when it came to staring at the ground. I was a bit lost in thought over all of this. My first case was already so wild, which meant that I had more than a few questions that still needed answers, which left me daydreaming more than I should.

"I just wanted to thank you for all of this. It means a lot to me. He's done a lot for Venus, Cassidy, and me. Anton's a good kid, too. He doesn't deserve to be sent off to prison. Plus, you're helping him figure out who killed Vee. That's really good," the girl said. I was sure that I saw something akin to sadness in her eye. A small smile appeared on her lips despite this, though she was still in some sort of emotional pain judging from the look in her blue iris. "I'm sure that we'll be meeting again soon, future co-worker."

I gasped in shock and was about to ask her what she meant, but before I got the chance, she was gone. The girl had woven between the other people in the defendant lobby and disappeared from sight. I was going to chase after her, but there was no way I'd be able to catch up. I couldn't even see her now, likely due to the fact that she was short enough to disappear from sight easily.

I let out a sigh and looked down. The girl seemed to imply that we'd be crossing paths soon, which meant that even if I didn't know much about her now, I'd figure it out later on. I hoped that was the case at least. She said a lot of confusing things, and I already wanted to know what she was on about...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I managed to stay on top of updating. This is a miracle.   
> I have to admit, formatting this from FF.net is pretty irritating since I need to enter all the paragraph breaks, bold, and italics, but it could be worse. Oh well.   
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the story! I'm going to head off to practice my forensics pieces really quick since I'm going out to a tournament this weekend. Until I see you again, farewell!  
> -Digital


	3. Turnabout Ignition, Part 3

**February 13**

**Prosecution Lobby No. 1**

**12:30 PM**

**Roberto Shield**

Not many people beat me to the prosecution lobby since I was insistent upon getting through the crowd as quickly as possible. I had business to take care of when it came to preparing the next witness, one Buff Guiy, so that he could testify when court went back into session.

I was pretty much alone when I arrived in the lobby not long after the judge adjourned the session. There were only two people ahead of me, and they appeared to be arguing, from what I could tell. Ms. Willows was standing beside a man that had around a foot of height on her. He was about as tall as Mr. Morix, if not a little bit shorter. He was much more muscular than the lawyer was, however, which set them apart from one another rather easily.

Ms. Willows looked as if she was about to cry. Her arm had been grabbed roughly by the man, who I assumed was Buff Guiy. I couldn't see his face very well, but I could guess from his shape. He had the same muscles as the man I had spoken to before about the crime, which would make sense. He had dark hair and light brown hair with blue eyes, though his hair and eyes were being hidden from the rest of the world since he was wearing a dark hoodie. He had dark blue athletic shorts on with tennis shoes of white and black. His socks reached his ankles and were white.

"I-I'm sorry! I just couldn't keep lying! P-Please don't hurt me!" Ms. Willows cried out, struggling to get away from Mr. Guiy. He had a firm grip on her wrist and wasn't going to be letting go anytime soon. I could tell that she was in pain because of the expression on her face.

"Is something wrong here?" I asked, approaching the two with my arms crossed. "If something is the matter, you can tell me about it directly."

The man instantly let go of Ms. Willows' wrist. She began to rub it. I could see the scar on it from where she had supposedly been cut by Mr. Guiy at the time of the crime. As of now, we couldn't say for sure where it had come from, but the chances seemed slim to me that it had come from anybody other than Mr. Guiy.

"Th-Thank you, Prosecutor Shield," Ms. Willows told me, dashing up to me. I could tell that she was still a bit nervous. She crouched down and picked up her fan from the ground, which I assumed had been dropped in the struggle between her and Mr. Guiy.

"No problem, Ms. Willows," I said simply. She nodded in my direction thankfully before dashing away. I wasn't sure where she was headed off to, but she seemed in a hurry to get there. I suspected that she had been wanting to talk to me before we went back into court, as there would be no other reason for her to be in the prosecution lobby instead of the defendant lobby, but was scared off after Mr. Guiy grabbed her. I couldn't really blame her. Mr. Guiy was a foot taller than her and seemed to be rather threatening, especially for someone so much smaller than him.

"Prosecutor Shield," Mr. Guiy said when he realized that I was there. He watched Ms. Willows go before turning my direction once again. "You wanted to prepare me for the trial so I could testify?"

"Yes. But first, I want to ask you something. Why were you being so rough with her?" I demanded of him, my eyes going narrow. I wasn't fond of people who used violence to control people, which meant that I already didn't like Mr. Guiy. If he kept this sort of behavior up, I was going to have to stop standing up for him. I had meant to at the start, as that was a part of my job, but I was starting to think that he simply didn't deserve it.

"That's none of your business," Mr. Guiy huffed. He glared at me before crossing his arms.

"I think that it is my business, as a matter of fact," I told him. "You're going to tell me the reason for that and you're going to tell me now."

Mr. Guiy watched me for a moment before letting out a sigh. I could tell that he was irritated. "Fine. I was mad that she was spreading lies about me during the trial. Can you blame me? She was going to do something to have me convicted of a murder that I didn't commit. That blonde kid did it. There's no doubt in my mind. I know for sure that he did. If he didn't do it, though, it must have been that girl. She seems suspicious, spouting lies about me in court... Isn't that illegal?"

"Yes, but we don't know for sure if she was lying yet. We'll see after court goes back into session if she was really lying, Mr. Guiy. Please try to calm down, will you?" I asked of him. I definitely wasn't his biggest fan. I had always known that Anton was innocent, since I had seen him around the Prosecutor's Office quite a bit. He worked alongside Ms. Burke, one of the best prosecutors in the district. I knew that he would never be able to commit a crime, much less murder. He's far too sweet to do such a thing. On top of that, in this case in particular, he wouldn't have been able to do kill the victim. She was much larger than him back when she was still alive, which meant that she would have been able to pummel him if she had chosen to. She had a little bit of muscle on her too, which would only work in her favor further.

"Fine," Mr. Guiy grumbled. "What do you need to say to me so I can say what happened in court?"

**February 13**

**Defendant Lobby No. 1**

**12:35 PM**

**Polly Burke**

After court was adjourned, I headed to the defendant lobby. If I had been on this case, I would have gone the other way, but that wasn't how things worked out. I had thought for a little while about taking this case just so I could make sure Anton didn't end up in prison, but I didn't get the chance to. Ghastly had already assigned somebody to the case by the time I had heard about this.

I headed over to Cotoli when I got the chance. His new helper, Lily, I think her name was, needed a breath of fresh air away from the crowd, so she was sitting on the couch nearby. I could have sworn I recognized the girl that had approached her, but I didn't say anything. If it was who I thought it was, then it was best if I stayed away.

Anton attached himself to my arm as soon as he saw me. I hugged him close and began to stroke his hair. He wasn't in a talking mood, and quite frankly, I can't really blame him, so I didn't push anything out of him. I held him to my chest for a few seconds before letting him go. We watched as Cotoli smiled to himself lightly at our embrace. Cotoli liked our softer moments, likely since I rarely showed a side like that.

"Um... Mr. Morix?"

A tap on Cotoli's shoulder had him turning around. It was Ms. Willows. She looked to be about Anton's age, now that I looked a bit closer. She had a young face to me, so I figured that was the case. Plus, I knew that she was about Venus' age from her testimony. Venus had been eighteen when she died, so it would make sense if she was about Anton's age since he was only a year younger than Venus.

"Is something wrong?" Cotoli asked of her. The height difference between the two was wild to see up close. Ms. Willows practically had to crane her neck all the way back just to meet his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry for lying during the trial today... I know that it was an awful thing of me to do... I won't do it again," Ms. Willows said. Her eyes flashed something akin to determination, but I didn't dwell on it. There was another thing on my mind, namely the threat that she had mentioned in her testimony.

"Don't worry about it. I understand that the situation was rough for you. I can't really blame you for acting that way out of fear. I'm positive that nearly everybody else would have done the same," Cotoli assured her. "Hopefully, we'll be able to use your testimony to find him guilty of the crime, though. Your statements seemed to say it loud and clear that he was the one who did it. I doubt that the judge can think you were lying, especially since he seems to find you so sweet."

Ms. Willows' cheeks went pink at this statement. "Th-Thank you for not being mad... I was thinking that you were going to be really irritated with me for having lied to you for so long... It would have been best if I had just told you the truth. I see that now," she said.

"Don't worry about it. Cotoli here is very forgiving. I'm sure that he doesn't mind it a bit," I told her. I smirked his way, to which he responded with a sigh.

"She's right," Cotoli told her next. "I can't really stay mad at most people for long."

"That's good to hear... You sort of startled me a little bit at first. But... I think that Prosecutor Shield was a bit more terrifying. He looked like he was going to bite somebody's head off at the first opportunity. I'm just glad that he didn't end up taking his anger out on me." Ms. Willows let out a light laugh, but I could tell that it was forced. It didn't take a genius to be able to tell that much. Judging from the way that Anton squeezed my arm, which he was still holding tight to, he noticed it as well.

"I doubt that he'd do something like that to you. He looks threatening, but he rarely ever carries out any of his threats unless somebody does something horrible. If he knows that you were doing this since you were threatened, and I'm positive that he does, he won't get angry with you," I assured her.

"You sure are nice to me... I did a lot wrong today, but I'm going to make up for it. I hope that what I've said so far will help to prove that the other guy did it, the one who called the police... I saw him lighting the car on fire, so I highly doubt that anybody else could have committed the crime. Plus, he would have no reason to do something like that if he wasn't trying to get rid of evidence," said Ms. Willows.

"I doubt that as well," I agreed with a small nod. Speaking of reasoning behind things, there was one thing that I needed to ask Cotoli about before we went back into the courtroom so the trial could resume. I nudged him gently, which caused him to look over and meet my eyes. "What are you going to do about motive? You'll need to prove that he had a motive before you can say that he did it conclusively. I'm sure that the judge will be getting on you for that if you aren't able to prove anything."

"I wouldn't be surprised if the same motive for Anton, the one proposed by Prosecutor Shield, applied to this man as well. If he had seen the online forum that accused Venus of being the Oracle of the Law, then I'm sure that he would have reacted with violence. I don't know him very well, but from what Ms. Willows has brought up, he seems to be lacking in temper, which wouldn't eliminate that possibility at all. In fact, it only makes it more likely. The judge will hopefully see that after observing his behaviors," Cotoli explained.

"I'm sure that you're right," I nodded. "If he grabbed a young girl and cut her hand open just because she saw him doing something suspicious, it wouldn't surprise me. But if he really is as short-tempered as he seems, then it shocks me that Ms. Willows even got out of that alive."

"I-I'm surprised too... He didn't seem like the type of person to let me get away after I saw him do something like that... I just... I hope that he gets locked up for killing Venus... She had her whole life ahead of her... Her birthday was in a few days... She was going to be turning nineteen... This autumn, she was set to be attending a local university... He ruined her life all because of some stupid online rumor...!" Ms. Willows whispered. Her voice grew more intense and more angry with each sentence. I could sense her unhappiness with the whole situation. I felt bad for her after hearing about all she had gone through in the past day. She wasn't much older than Anton, so she must have been just a child. Disgusting.

"We'll be able to catch him. I promise you," Cotoli told her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. Ms. Willows gasped under her breath and looked up to meet his eyes. He shot her a supportive smile, which she returned. She rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. I hadn't noticed before, but tears were welling up in her eyes. This was definitely taking its toll on her.

"I'm surprised that you two haven't ever met, honestly," I said. "If Venus worked for you, Cotoli, and Ms. Willows was her close friend, then how have you two not seen each other before now?"

"W-We have met, actually... But it's a long story that I don't want to get into..." Ms. Willows explained to me. I understood what she meant in less than a second. I nodded solemnly to her, showing that I had caught on to what she was trying to tell me.

"Defense! Defendant! It's time to return to the courtroom!"

Upon hearing the cry of the nearby bailiff, our conversation came to a halt.

"I-I'll see you inside, Mr. Morix..." Ms. Willows said before dashing off. She was fast for having such short legs, I have to admit.

"Let's go," I told Cotoli before turning to Anton. "Don't worry. You'll be out of the detention center before the end of the day. I promise."

Anton rubbed his eyes and nodded before walking into the courtroom. I felt my heart ache for him, but I didn't get the chance to comfort him before we were forced to part ways.

**February 13**

**Courtroom No. 1**

**1** **2:50 AM**

**Cotoli Morix**

"Court is back in session for the trial of Anton Burke," Judge Frost declared once we had arrived in the courtroom. "I trust that the prosecution has prepared its witness so that his testimony may be presented for the court."

"Yes, Your Honor," Prosecutor Shield said with a nod. "Guiy! It's time for you to head on up!"

At his words, a muscular man approached the witness stand. He had dark hair and slightly tanned skin. His eyes were dark as well. He had a hoodie on with athletic shorts and tennis shoes. I noticed that there was a duffel bag strapped over one shoulder. It looked to be rather heavy, but I couldn't quite tell what was inside. I wasn't entirely sure if I wanted to know, so I didn't say anything to ask him about it. He would have been stopped at the gates of the courthouse if there was something dangerous inside.

"Please state your name and occupation for the court, witness," Judge Frost instructed of him, looking down at the witness with narrowed eyes. "Your testimony is going to be very important. The previous witness has accused you of murder, so I ask that you take this as seriously as you can. It could put you or another man in prison, so it must be as solemn as possible."

"I understand," the man said. He flexed one of his arms, showing off his muscles. I could tell that he was strong just by looking at him. Even if his arms were mostly hidden by the fabric of his hoodie, it was rather obvious. "My name is Buff Guiy. I work as a physical education teacher at a school near here. And yes, ladies, I am single." He winked in the direction of the gallery. I could have sworn that I heard a few young ladies swoon. I could not understand why. I was attracted to guys too, but I still didn't think that he looked that attractive. Maybe I was biased because of the words of Ms. Willows, but I didn't really see what they were on about.

"You will tell the court what you saw the day of the crime, Mr. Guiy," Judge Frost instructed harshly. I could tell that he was not in a good mood and that he was suspicious of the witness like I was. Not even Prosecutor Shield seemed to be too particularly fond of him, but maybe that was just me.

"Alright," Mr. Guiy nodded. He continued to flex his muscles, staring at them with infatuation. I could tell that he wasn't the biggest fan of testifying as well, which would explain why he hadn't yet started. About ten seconds passed of him just staring at himself in silence before he looked up to the judge. "But before I say anything, I want you to know that the one who did it is that little blonde kid, the one in the defendant's chair. I swear it on my life."

I looked up at Ms. Willows. She was sitting in the gallery above Prosecutor Shield. Judging by the nervous look she was giving me, she thought that he was the killer as well. Her testimony had made it loud and clear that he was guilty in at least some way.

"Just say what you saw. Leave your personal opinions and views out of it," Prosecutor Shield said. He was messing with the red scarf around his neck. I got the feeling that was a nervous habit of his.

"Got it," Mr. Guiy nodded.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ What I Saw ~**

_\- "The first thing I noticed when I found the crime scene was that the black-haired girl was sitting on the ground crying."_

_\- "She had her face buried in her hands, upset about some happening or another."_

_\- "The defendant kid was sitting next to her. I saw some blood on his hands. I was sure of it."_

_\- "Since there was blood on him, that means that he must have done it!"_

_\- "See? I told you that the little kid was the killer! There's no other explanation for blood being on his hands!"_

"After you saw this scene, you called the police, correct?" Prosecutor Shield questioned of him.

"I did do that, good sir. I am a law-abiding citizen, so I did what any other honest man would do. Somebody had died, so I had to do something about that," Mr. Guiy explained.

"May the defense begin its cross-examination now?" I asked, looking up to the judge. I already knew what the contradiction was. It was just a matter of pointing it out to the court.

"Go right ahead, Mr. Morix," Judge Frost nodded.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ What I Saw ~**

_\- "The first thing I noticed when I found the crime scene was that the black-haired girl was sitting on the ground crying."_

_\- "She had her face buried in her hands, upset about some happening or another."_

_\- "The defendant kid was sitting next to her. I saw some blood on his hands. I was sure of it."_

_\- "Since there was blood on him, that means that he must have done it!"_

_\- "See? I told you that the little kid was the killer! There's no other explanation for blood being on his hands!"_

"Objection!"

Once I had found the paper that I was looking for, I began to read off it. "The previous witness, one Shayla Willows, told the court that she had been cut on the back of the hand by you, Mr. Guiy. Your testimony was lacking in that little detail, I noticed," I told him.

"Because she was obviously lying! Maybe she's trying to protect that blonde kid or something! You never know what goes through people's minds!" Mr. Guiy exclaimed.

"I doubt that she would try to lie and protect him, regardless of how close they were. If she thought that he was a killer, the chances of her trying to protect him are extremely slim," I said. "On top of that, wouldn't you find that a bit odd?"

"Odd?" Prosecutor Shield echoed. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean."

"According to Ms. Willows' testimony, she was the first one to find the crime scene. She was alone there at the time when the defendant appeared. Wouldn't it be strange of the defendant to appear again at the scene after she had already arrived with blood on his hands? It wouldn't make much sense and would only make him out to be more guilty," I explained. "It would do nothing but hurt him once the case went to court."

"Maybe he just forgot the blood was on his hands," Mr. Guiy suggested. I could tell that he was starting to get stressed. The tension in his shoulders was rather obvious.

"I doubt someone could forget something like that. Plus, if he stabbed someone, blood wouldn't just be on his hands. The spray would get all over his clothes, but you didn't mention anything like that. If you ask me, it's a sign that he didn't kill the victim. Nothing was found nearby that he could have used to hide the blood. The scene was searched thoroughly by police. Plus, he wouldn't have been able to take it with him since the police said that he was with them from the time when the crime scene was found to when he was arrested," I continued. "Basically, the defendant killing the victim is as good as impossible! Your claim that the blood on his hands must have belonged to the victim means nothing in proving his guilt since it is nothing short of impossible for him to have done it!"

"Wow! You thought of everything, Mr. Morix!" Lily exclaimed from my side. Her eyes were lit up with excitement. "You really do seem like the best lawyer in town, if you ask me!"

My face flushed red at her statement. "Th-Thanks, Lily..." I murmured, grinning to myself.

"Then... If the blood on the defendant's hands didn't come from the victim, where did it come from?!" the judge cried out. "You had better be able to explain that, Mr. Morix!"

"Before you try and suggest it, the blood was found on his hands when he was arrested as well. It is unknown who it belonged to, but it wasn't the victim's blood. Forensics tested it after he was found at the scene of the murder," Prosecutor Shield told me.

"The origin of the blood is rather simple, actually," I explained to the court. "Let us refer back to the testimony of the previous witness. She said that her hand was cut open by the witness here. If blood was found on the hands of the defendant, I think that means that her claim is validated. There was no other blood at the scene of the murder besides the victim's and Ms. Willows' blood. This means that the blood must have belonged to her! There simply isn't any other solution!"

"How would her blood have gotten onto that kid's hands though!?" Mr. Guiy yelled angrily. A few beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. "That makes no sense! The blood was on her, not him!"

"It could have easily been on both of them, Mr. Guiy," I said next. "Imagine what you would do if you saw a girl crying and bloodied on the ground. You'd go to her and try to help, wouldn't you?"

"Y-Yes, I would. It's only the humane thing to do, I believe," Judge Frost replied. "Oh! So that's what you think the defendant did after he arrived at the scene of the crime?"

"Exactly," I nodded. "It would explain where the blood came from as well as why it didn't match the blood that was found on the victim. It must have come from the previous witness, Shayla Willows. And do you know what that means?"

"I-I think I get it..." Lily whispered from next to me. "It proves that Ms. Willows wasn't lying about her hand being cut open! That means that this witness probably committed the murder if that's really the case, so he can't try to feign innocence anymore! It's the first nail in his coffin when it comes to proving that he's the killer!"

I nodded once again. "Exactly," I repeated. "You cannot try to hide your sins any longer, Mr. Guiy. You had something to do with the crime, so you can't try and deny the fact that you injured the witness."

"L-Let me testify one more time!" Mr. Guiy cried out. "I can prove that I didn't do it! I'll tell you about who must have really done it!"

"Go ahead, Mr. Guiy. However, if you lie to this court again, I'm afraid that we will have to follow Mr. Morix and believe in his theory that you were the one who attacked the witness and left her hand in bad condition," the judge told him. His eyes screamed loud and clear that he was deadly serious and wouldn't tolerate any other lies from Mr. Guiy. I was happy about this. It meant that the judge was on my side, and quite truthfully, that was one of the best things that could ever come out of a trial like this.

"Alright! Just give me one last chance and I'll show that it wasn't me!" Mr. Guiy exclaimed.

"Go ahead," Prosecutor Shield instructed. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at the witness, his gaze rough and demanding. He didn't trust the witness at all now. Everything was starting to come together now. It was just a matter of trying to prove that Mr. Guiy was the one who killed Venus.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Real Killer ~**

_\- "I can't believe that you're really accusing me of this! How ridiculous can you be?!"_

_\- "Okay, maybe that blonde kid didn't do it! But that doesn't mean automatically that I'm the one who did that girl in!"_

_\- "That other witness lied to you all and you know it! How are you sure that she wasn't lying to you about her hand, huh?!"_

_\- "Maybe there was never a knife wound! Maybe she committed the crime and that blood wasn't her own, but rather, the victim's blood!"_

_\- "Unless you get rid of all the other possible killers, then you can't show that I'm the one who did it! If you try and do that, I'm afraid that the victim won't be the only dead one in this court!"_

"The witness will refrain from threatening the defense!" Judge Frost cried out after Mr. Guiy had finished his testimony. "You need to keep your behavior righteous if we're going to believe what you say!"

"You don't need to let it bother you, Your Honor. Regardless of any threats that he throws my way, I can easily prove that he's not telling the truth to this court. I am positive that he has something to do with this crime, and I intend to prove it here and now," I declared. "If it's alright with you, may I begin my cross-examination now?"

"Go right ahead," the judge nodded. Prosecutor Shield nodded as well, so I took that as my cue to get started.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Real Killer ~**

_\- "I can't believe that you're really accusing me of this! How ridiculous can you be?!"_

_\- "Okay, maybe that blonde kid didn't do it! But that doesn't mean automatically that I'm the one who did that girl in!"_

_\- "That other witness lied to you all and you know it! How are you sure that she wasn't lying to you about her hand, huh?!"_

_\- "Maybe there was never a knife wound! Maybe she committed the crime and that blood wasn't her own, but rather, the victim's blood!"_

_\- "Unless you get rid of all the other possible killers, then you can't show that I'm the one who did it! If you try and do that, I'm afraid that the victim won't be the only dead one in this court!"_

"Objection!"

"I'm afraid that your lies will be ending here, Mr. Guiy," I told him with a shake of my head. "Lying in court is a serious crime, you know. I doubt that the judge will stand for hearing that you weren't telling the truth once again."

"How are you so sure that I'm lying, huh?!" Mr. Guiy yelled out. He was growing more stressed as the seconds passed by. "

Well, if you really want to know about what makes you a liar in this situation, I'll tell you," I smirked to myself. "Allow me to explain..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized belatedly that I forgot to include the character credit for the girl from the end of last chapter. She belongs to the same friend of mine who made Venus. Oops.   
> I don't really have all that much to say here. This chapter is pretty self-explanatory. Even so, I hope that you enjoyed! I'll see you all later!  
> -Digital


	4. Turnabout Ignition, Part 4

**February 13**

**Courtroom No. 1**

**1:15 PM**

**Cotoli Morix**

"It's all a matter of what I explained a few minutes ago, Mr. Guiy," I began. "The blood could not have been the victim's. There are many pieces of evidence to show this fact."

"Then go on and explain, you stupid lawyer!" Mr. Guiy fumed. "We're not all as smart as you are! You're acting so high and mighty!"

"I can tell he's getting flustered. I doubt that anybody would behave this way if they were calm," Lily whispered to me. "Now all that's left to do is show him what you're made of, Mr. Morix!"

I nodded and looked at Mr. Guiy again. "You see, I told the court a few minutes ago that Mr. Burke's hands could not have had the victim's blood on them. If he had stabbed her, the backsplash would be a lot more than just getting on his hands. It would be all over his clothes unless he had something to cover himself up with to keep the blood from getting on him. However, nothing like that was found at the scene of the murder, which throws that option right out the window," I explained.

"You don't need to go and repeat what you just said. It just makes us all feel stupid," Mr. Guiy told me with a roll of his eyes. "What are you even on about at this point anyways?"

"If nothing of that sort was found at the scene of the crime, then the possibility of that being the case for anyone is also ruled out. That means that Ms. Willows cannot be the killer since nothing was found to cover up any killers from the blood splash!" I exclaimed, pointing at Mr. Guiy.

The gallery burst into a sudden chatter. I couldn't help but smirk to myself at how well this was going. Normally, none of my cases were this clean. It took ages to get a not guilty verdict, though I always got there eventually.

Judge Frost slammed down his gavel twice, which silenced all the onlookers. "Order!" he cried out. "This court will have order!"

"The stab wound in the victim's chest was caused by a knife. That knife was never removed, which means that the amount of blood would be limited after the wound was inflicted," Prosecutor Shield declared. "And also, I wish to say something really quick about the blood backsplash you mentioned..."

"Go on," I told him. I wasn't entirely sure what he was going to say, but I was going to have to find a way to work with it if I wanted to get Anton out of jail.

"Even if the backsplash was limited, some blood would have gotten onto the killer's clothes. No large cloth was found at the scene of the crime, though there was something I found a little bit odd about the crime scene," Prosecutor Shield began.

"And what would that be?" I questioned. I hadn't seen anything too out of order at the scene when I had looked over it the day before, but perhaps there was a chance that I had missed something.

"A scrap of white cloth was found inside the car in the back seat of the vehicle. It looked to have been badly burned, from what I could tell. However, I spoke to the younger sister of the victim yesterday. Her name is Cassidy Rinko," Prosecutor Shield began.

Upon his saying her name, my thoughts were cast back to her. I had known Cassidy as long as I had known Venus, so about two years. She was a fragile girl, so I was sure that Venus' passing had upset her greatly. I hadn't yet spoken to her, so I would need to do that after the trial had ended.

"Being so closely related to the victim, Cassidy knew what her sister had been wearing. She told me when I asked. She had been wearing a dark jacket with a pink, orange, and violet tye-dye shirt. She also had on jeans and black socks with dark boots on," Prosecutor Shield continued to say.

"How is this at all related to the case?!" Mr. Guiy shouted. "It sounds like you're just listing off random facts about the dead girl!"

"These facts are in no way random. The one thing that you'll notice about her clothing is that all of it is nowhere near being white. That begs the question of where the white fabric scrap in the car come from," Prosecutor Shield said.

"That fabric must have been used by the killer as a cover from the blood splash!" Lily exclaimed. "It would also explain why the killer set the car on fire in the first place. It's rare for a killer to do something like that unless they were getting rid of evidence of some sort," I murmured. "Was there anything of note on this piece of fabric?"

"There was a tag on it, for one. It was for a man's shirt, the size being extra large. A speck of blood was found on the corner. I believe that it is the victim's blood from when she was attacked. I wasn't entirely sure what it meant before, but it seems much clearer now," Prosecutor Shield told the court.

"An extra large shirt would never fit the defendant. He's much too small. It would be much too baggy to effectively cover his chest area from the blood, which is where a lot of it would go if he had stabbed the victim. He's shorter than her, so the stab from the chest on the victim would just have the blood ending up in his hair, and that wouldn't help at all. Plus as was already mentioned, he is much too short to effectively stab the victim anyways, who is almost a foot taller than him," I said. "However, if this witness were to wear that size of shirt, things would work out much better for him."

"Like you mentioned, it would explain why the car was burned earlier as well," Lily told me. "It works out pretty well if you want my two cents on the matter!"

"Ms. Willows could not have committed the crime either. She's roughly the size of the defendant, so the same logic applies to her as well," I declared next.

"So what you're saying is that this witness must have committed the crime?" Judge Frost asked. "Blood would have gotten all over the killer after they stabbed the victim, and as far as we know, a large shirt was used to cover up by the killer. The shirt was then thrown into the back seat of the car and the vehicle was set on fire. The defendant could not have done it due to his small size and not fitting the shirt size mentioned by Prosecutor Shield earlier."

I nodded. "That's the gist of it. Plus, Ms. Willows mentioned during her testimony that Mr. Guiy here grabbed her hand, cut it open, and threatened her into staying quiet about what had happened. I wouldn't be too surprised if she had also seen him set the car on fire. He's looking incredibly suspicious at the moment," I said.

"Perhaps we should have Ms. Willows return to the stand and testify about what she saw regarding Mr. Guiy at the scene of the murder," Judge Frost suggested. "Are there any objections?"

"The prosecution has no objections, Your Honor," Prosecutor Shield told him with a shake of his head.

"The defense has no objections either," Lily chirped in.

"In that case, Ms. Willows, if you would please do the honor of returning to the stand," Judge Frost said.

Ms. Willows was standing there a few seconds later rubbing her wrist and looking around the courtroom nervously. Mr. Guiy passed her on his way back to his seat. Ms. Willows gulped upon passing him.

"We would like you to testify about what you saw regarding the burning of the vehicle the victim was found in," Judge Frost told her. "You can do that, can you not?"

Ms. Willows nodded solemnly. "Yes," she responded. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was scared out of her mind. I wanted to soothe her and tell her that everything would be alright, but that didn't seem like it was going to happen while we were still in the courtroom.

"Begin your testimony, Ms. Willows," the judge instructed, to which Ms. Willows nodded once again.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Killer and the Burning Car ~**

_\- "When I got outside after getting the call from Venus, I saw a man crouched over a lighter."_

_\- "He held it up to the tail end of the car, near the exhaust pipe. The fire was all over the car in an instant."_

_\- "I couldn't entirely tell if the killer had blood on his clothes, but he reeked of blood for sure..."_

_\- "He grabbed my arm and told me to be quiet about what I had seen if I ever wanted to live another day... Then he cut it open..."_

_\- "Now that we're here in court, I am sure that he was the other witness. He was wearing a black hoodie."_

_\- "He left not long after, but before he went, he threw me to the ground and dropped the hoodie at my side..."_

_\- "He picked it up before leaving. Mr. Burke appeared minutes later, followed by Mr. Guiy, who pretended to have found the scene and called the police."_

I thought through Ms. Willows' testimony for a moment once she had finished. I didn't see any direct contradictions, nothing glaring or anything, but there was something I wanted to ask about. I'd have to do it during the cross-examination.

"I don't see anything that seems like a contradiction," Lily hissed from beside me.

"Maybe not, but there is something that we need to ask her. I'm sure that it will help us to prove who really committed the crime," I told her. "No need to worry."

"If you're done whispering, defense, it's time for the cross-examination," said Prosecutor Shield.

"I'll be getting right on that," I told him. "If you would just go on and repeat your testimony, Ms. Willows."

"Certainly," she nodded.

~ **Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Killer and the Burning Car ~**

_\- "When I got outside after getting the call from Venus, I saw a man crouched over a lighter."_

_\- "He held it up to the tail end of the car, near the exhaust pipe. The fire was all over the car in an instant."_

_\- "I couldn't entirely tell if the killer had blood on his clothes, but he reeked of blood for sure..."_

_\- "He grabbed my arm and told me to be quiet about what I had seen if I ever wanted to live another day... Then he cut it open..."_

_\- "Now that we're here in court, I am sure that he was the other witness. He was wearing a black hoodie."_

_\- "He left not long after, but before he went, he threw me to the ground and dropped the hoodie at my side..."_

"Hold it!"

"Why do you think he dropped the hoodie at your side?" I questioned of Ms. Willows.

"I don't really know... It was right next to my face when I was down on the pavement, so I could smell it. It smelled of sweat, but not really blood. It was black, I know that much," Ms. Willows replied.

"Why is that so important, Mr. Morix?" Lily asked me. "You look like you have something up your sleeve, I just don't know what."

"She said that the hoodie was black and that it smelled like sweat, but not really blood. That means that the killer had something like that on him at the time. I doubt anybody would leave something like that at home, as the best thing they could do to watch over something from a crime scene would be go have it with them at all times. Further, it looks to me that Mr. Guiy is wearing a black hoodie right now. Doesn't that come off as a little bit suspicious to you?" I asked of Lily, turning to face her.

"He was already pretty suspicious, but I get what you mean. It just seems to further prove our assumptions that he has something to do with this case and its killer," Lily said from my side. "If he is the one who did this, then... I just have one question."

"And what would that be?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side ever so slightly.

"If the hoodie was on the ground, which is what Ms. Willows was focused on in her haze, the what about the shirt?" Lily asked. "She didn't mention the shirt at all, which means that we're out of luck as far as figuring out where it went goes."

I faced Ms. Willows once again. "Did you happen to see what happened to the shirt this man you encountered was wearing?" I crossed my arms as I spoke, lost in thought.

"No... But I did mention that he smelled of blood, didn't I? The hoodie didn't have that same smell on it at all, but at the same time, I know there was blood on him," she answered. She had begun twirling her hair over one finger, staring down at her toes as if they were the most interesting things to exist all of a sudden.

"Are you implying that you think this blood smell came from the shirt that the killer was likely wearing beneath the hoodie?" I asked.

She nodded slowly. "Yes... I can't think of any other explanation for all this... But I can't really say how the shirt got into the back seat of the car. I apologize for that much," she said softly.

"Would you add a statement about not knowing how the shirt got into the car to your testimony?" I asked her.

"Um... Alright..." she stammered. I saw Prosecutor Shield shoot me an odd look, but I ignored him. I was getting an idea as to what I needed to do in order to solve this mess, so I didn't need to pay much attention to his stares.

_\- "I don't really how the bloody shirt could have gotten into the car though... All the doors to the vehicle were closed except the driver's seat..."_

"Objection!"

"You may not know how the shirt got into the car, but I think I might have a bit of an idea," I smirked to myself. "I'm sure that it will become clear once you all take a look at the photo of the crime scene. If you look closely, you can see that the skylight window is open. If somebody had good enough aim, they could easily have gotten a shirt into the back seat of the car from the ground by shooting it through that window. Mr. Guiy told us that he was a physical education teacher, so it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he could easily make that shot with basketball experience!" I exclaimed. "In other words, it just solidifies the idea that Mr. Guiy must have committed the crime!"

It only took a few seconds for the courtroom to burst into a wild chatter once again. I couldn't help but smirk to myself. This was going perfectly. If things kept going this way, Anton would be out of prison in no time! The sooner he was released, the sooner we could all go home and relax as if this whole ordeal had never happened. It would be impossible to pretend that was the case due to Venus being gone, but I was more focused on freeing Anton. My grief could wait another few hours.

Judge Frost hit his gavel down on the bench before him. The people in the room immediately fell silent in favor of listening to the older man. "Order in the court!" he yelled.

In the blink of an eye, Mr. Guiy had appeared at the witness stand. He pushed Ms. Willows out of the way, which caused her to trip and fall to the ground. She rubbed her knee while glaring at him. He didn't even give her a second glance, focusing instead on what was going on around him. "You can't listen to her! For all you know, she's lying! What's the point in listening to her when you don't have any proof she's being honest?! Where's your proof, you stupid lawyer?! If were expected to listen to her, why should we if you don't have any evidence of her honesty?! It seems like a set up to make me look guilty when I couldn't have committed the crime! Why would I kill a teenaged girl?! It makes no sense!" Mr. Guiy yelled angrily. I wasn't his biggest fan, so maybe I was a bit biased, but he seemed to be grasping at straws by how, begging the court to stay on his side and not think of him as a man guilty of murder.

"Mr. Guiy!" came the snap of Judge Frost. "You were not called to the witness stand! You have no right to speak at the moment!"

"What's his problem?" Lily asked from next to me. She dashed over to Ms. Willows after she had finished her question and reached out her hand before helping Ms. Willows to her feet.

The dark-haired girl smiled shyly her way once she was standing once again. "Thanks..." Ms. Willows whispered. Lily winked at her and shot her a grin before returning to my side. Ms. Willows, on the other hand, returned to her seat in the witness area near the prosecution's bench on the opposing side of the courtroom.

"Give me one more chance to prove my innocence! I swear I'll do it right this time!" Mr. Guiy cried desperately. "Please!"

"Are there any objections to this?" Judge Frost asked, looking to me and Prosecutor Shield.

"The defense has no objections," I responded with a simple nod.

"The prosecution doesn't object either," Prosecutor Shield said. "But be warned, Mr. Guiy... If we catch you lying again, we will not be so forgiving. The judge wouldn't hesitate to hold you in contempt of court, I am sure. Isn't that right, Your Honor?"

The judge shook his head. "No. I believe that you have lied too many times to this court. I will not tolerate any further lies, Mr. Guiy. Do you understand?" the judge asked. His face was surprisingly dark. I hadn't expected to see him this way. It sent a little bit of a shiver up my spine, to say the least. From what I could tell, he was normally a relatively kind man that many people respected, but when he got mad, he was most certainly someone to be feared if you were there when someone crossed the line.

"Alright. I won't lie anymore. I swear this time," Mr. Guiy said to him, nodding furiously. I could still see some sweat on his forehead despite his promise of honesty. He was nervous about something, and I got the feeling it had something to do with the knife buried in Venus' chest.

"Then you may begin your testimony," the judge told him with a nod.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ I Didn't Do It ~**

_-"You can't really think I killed that girl! That's ridiculous! There was no reason for her to die if she was just a kid!"_

_-"You keep acting like that girl accusing me is credible, but I really don't think so! Words are just words unless you have physical evidence to back it up!"_

_-"Where's your proof I killed that girl, huh?! You don't have any, that's right! If you did, you would have shown it already!"_

_-"If you're going to say that I did it, you're going to need a motive, evidence, and testimony! You can't just take one of those and call it good!"_

_-"Unless you have all of those things, then you're going to have to let me go since I didn't kill her! But you really don't, do you?!"_

"He's saying that he couldn't have done it since we can't prove he did with motive and evidence... But... That really can't be true, can it?" Lily asked me from her place next to me.

"I believe that Mr. Guiy is guilty just like most people in this court do. I find it hard to believe that he didn't do it since at this point, he's just saying that he couldn't have done it since we don't have proof. That seems like a desperate move to me," I told her.

"But... Can we even prove that he did it? So far, I haven't seen anything that we could use to prove definitively that he committed the crime... At the very least, we don't seem to have any evidence on us of his guilt, and that's not a good sign..." Lily murmured.

I glanced up at Mr. Guiy and searched him from top to bottom. I wasn't going to let it show to Lily, but she was right. We did seem to be lacking that final piece of evidence to really seal the deal... There had to be something that we were missing, something that could prove once and for all that Mr. Guiy was the one who killed her...

That was when it clicked. There was one piece of evidence that we had been missing this whole time... I was positive that if we just looked over the basics of the case, it would be obvious what happened to it. If we knew where it was, we could have someone sent to get it and prove that Mr. Guiy was involved...

Ms. Willows had mentioned that Mr. Guiy had cut her hand open. If that was really the case, then that meant that he must have used some sort of weapon, likely a knife. A switchblade would be small enough to hide in one's pocket, especially if the pockets were as large as Mr. Guiy's... The knife that Venus was killed with was still in her chest when the body was found.

That meant that nobody had taken it out. It showed no signs of having been removed and replaced, as nobody would be able to make the same stab twice in a row perfectly. Plus, Ms. Willows had mentioned that the knife had cut her hand after the car was set on fire, which means that anybody who tried to put it back into Venus if they had removed it to cut her hand would get burned. The knife had stayed there until the body was found. That meant there was another knife used to cut her hand. If it was a switchblade, it would have been small enough to hide in somebody's pocket, which meant they could easily escape with it. I had been sure that no other knives were found at the crime scene, which could mean only one thing as for the fate of the knife.

I continued to look Mr. Guiy from top to bottom until my eyes settled on his bag. Everything was starting to click into place regarding this case. The only thing left to do was cross-examine Mr. Guiy and prove where the second knife was!

"Mr. Morix, if you wouldn't mind, it's time to begin the cross-examination," Judge Frost told me.

"I'll be right on it, Your Honor," I said with a nod. It was time to end this.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ I Didn't Do It ~**

_-"You can't really think I killed that girl! That's ridiculous! There was no reason for her to die if she was just a kid!"_

_-"You keep acting like that girl accusing me is credible, but I really don't think so! Words are just words unless you have physical evidence to back it up!"_

_-"Where's your proof I killed that girl, huh?! You don't have any, that's right! If you did, you would have shown it already!"_

_-"If you're going to say that I did it, you're going to need a motive, evidence, and testimony! You can't just take one of those and call it good!"_

_-"Unless you have all of those things, then you're going to have to let me go since I didn't kill her! But you really don't, do you?!"_

"Objection!" "I'm afraid this is where your gambit comes to an end, Mr. Guiy," I told the man with a smirk. "I have but one question for you, which should prove who committed this crime."

"And what would that be?" Mr. Guiy asked. Sweat dripped down the side of his temple.

"What's is that bag of yours?" I questioned, pointing to the duffle bag strapped over his shoulder. "I don't think we've seen you open it this entire trial..."

"It just had some weights in it. I was planning on going to the gym after I was finished here," Mr. Guiy responded simply. "Why do you need to know anyways? What's it to you?"

"I was thinking a moment ago about Ms. Willows' testimony. She stated that her hand was cut open by a knife after the car was set on fire. This means that it would have been impossible for the killer to take the knife from the chest of the victim, cut her hand, and put it back. They would end up horribly burned in the process, which would only make them look more guilty," I explained. "That leaves us wondering about what happened to this second knife."

"Do you have any theories as to where it went, Mr. Morix?" Judge Frost asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do," I responded. "I believe that the killer took it with them since no other knives were found at the scene of the crime. It would make sense if the killer still had it on them, as that evidence is far too incriminating and far too important to just leave somewhere. If we were able to find this knife, we'd be able to test it for fingerprints and show who did it. We'd be positive as to if it was the one if traces of Ms. Willows' blood were found on it."

"You think that this witness has the knife, don't you?" Prosecutor Shield asked. "It would make sense... If you really only have weights in your bag, witness, I'm sure you wouldn't mind us looking through it to make sure that no knife is found, perhaps, on an inside pocket..."

"Y-You haven't even thought up a motive for me to commit the crime yet! You need that if you want to find me guilty! I told you, to find somebody guilty of a crime, you need motive, testimony, and evidence! Where's your damn motive?! Until you have that, no bags are getting searched and no innocent verdicts are going to be handed down for the blonde kid In the defendant's seat!"

"I'm sure that a motive will be no problem for Mr. Morix here," Prosecutor Shield told him before looking my way. "Go on. Tell him about the motive behind this case. I seems rather simple to figure out."

I nodded. "As a matter of fact, you would be right. The motive given by the prosecution at the start of this trial is universal. He mentioned an online forum saying that the victim had potential to be Oracle. People were growing suspicious of her involvement in cases that had to do with Oracle and figured that she was the one behind all of this. It isn't hard to look up online. You can find it easily if you know what you're looking for. If the defendant can be suspected of committing this crime since he saw the forum and thought that the victim was the Oracle of the Law, that can apply to you as well," I told him. "Many people are after Oracle, saying that they're a criminal and thinking they should die. How do we know that you don't think that yourself?"

"That motive could apply to literally anybody in this courtroom! Don't act like you're being all smart just because you repeated what the prosecution said earlier!" Mr. Guiy yelled.

I shook my head. "Don't be fooled, Mr. Guiy. There is quite the difference between you and everybody else in this courtroom. Nobody else in here has been proven to have been present at the scene of the murder when the crime took place. Nobody else in this courtroom is under suspicion of holding the knife used to cut the witness' hand open. Nobody else in this courtroom was accused of murder by the aforementioned witness. You, however, most certainly fit these criteria. With this motive for murder, the testimony of Ms. Willows, a witness, accusing you, and the physical evidence of you potentially having a knife on your body right now, I've done all you want me to. Now, I have everything that I need to accuse you of the murder of Venus Rinko!" I cried out, pointing at him.

The gallery exploded into conversation once more. Judge Frost had to beat his gavel against his podium three times to get the onlookers silent this time around. "Order in the court! I will have order now or else this trial will go into recess!" he yelled out in anger.

"If that won't be enough for you, however, Mr. Guiy, I will be glad to explain the crime in detail if that is what you require. As of now, it seems painfully clear who committed this crime, but I'd be happy to recap what happened yesterday when Ms. Rinko was brutally murdered," I told him.

"Just for the sake of clarity, go right on and do so, Mr. Morix," Prosecutor Shield instructed of me. "The court could use it, I believe." The judge nodded his agreement from his place above us.

I nodded and smirked to myself, pushing a little bit of my hair out of my face. "Gladly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! Yay!  
> I'm in a pretty good mood today, so you guys get an update early! It's my birthday today, so I'm in pretty high spirits!  
> After the next chapter, we'll be starting up case two! On the other sites this story is on, I'm due to be finished with case four tomorrow. If I keep up my current pace, I'll be halfway through case five when we're caught up on here, so that's pretty neat.   
> Anyways, I hope that you guys enjoyed! I'll see you all later!  
> -Digital


	5. Turnabout Ignition, Part 5

**February 13**

**Courtroom No. 1**

**2:30 PM**

**Cotoli Morix**

"The crime took place yesterday, February 12th. The victim, a girl by the name of Venus Rinko, was on her way to my law agency, Morix Law Offices, to meet with one Shayla Willows. Once she arrived, on the phone with Ms. Willows at the time, Ms. Rinko parked her car and prepared to come inside. However, she never got the chance to. A man approached her once she had gotten to her feet and stabbed her in the chest, thinking that she was the Oracle of the Law due to an online forum accusing her. It wasn't immediately fatal, so Ms. Rinko warned Ms. Willows to not come outside, as she knew it was dangerous. Not long after, she collapsed back into the driver's seat and tragically passed away due to her wound.

"The killer had blocked the blood backsplash from getting to his skin with a white shirt. He pulled on a hoodie to cover it up, likely hoping to make a clean getaway from the scene. He next pulled out a small lighter, which he had brought with him, and set the car ablaze. Ms. Willows arrived not long after, seeing the killer as he set the car on fire. She was spotted by the killer, who pulled a small knife from his pocket and cut the back of her hand open, threatening to kill her if she didn't stay quiet when the case went to court.

"He threw Ms. Willows to the ground and took off his hoodie while she was distracted by her hand wound. He removed his shirt as well and threw it into the car through the skylight window, where it burned. He collected his hoodie and left the scene, planning to 'find' it not long after and call the police. Ms. Willows began to cry over her friend upon seeing her body in the car, panicking over her sudden murder and being threatened by her killer.

"This is when the defendant appeared. He tried to comfort Ms. Willows, but he ended up getting her blood on his hands in the process because of the cut on the back of her hand. The killer showed up once again, claiming that he had seen the defendant at the time of the murder and calling the police on him.

"The police officers arrived not long after and agreed that Mr. Burke was suspicious. He was arrested on suspicion of the murder of Ms. Rinko and ended up here in court today for it. The blood on his hands was tested and revealed to not belong to the victim, but it was still incredibly odd to them. The killer ended up going free for his crimes, but he made one fatal flaw. He took the knife used to cut Ms. Willows' hand with him. It had his fingerprints on it and could not be left at the scene of the crime to be discovered. However, that ended up being his downfall, as we can all see now, since we know where the knife went.

"It is with none other than you, Buff Guiy! You killed Venus Rinko!"

Mr. Guiy growled in my direction. He reached one hand into his bag and pulled a weight out of it before tossing it into the air. His other hand joined in as he continued to toss weights upwards at an increasingly rapid pace. "Stupid Oracle! If it wasn't for that damn spy, everything would have been fine! Curse you, Oracle!"

The weights began to come crashing down not long after. They rained from above him, surrounding him in a flurry. The final weight, the largest of them all, slammed into his head, sending him to the ground in an instant. That wasn't the only thing to land on his head, however. A blood-covered knife hit his hair before falling to the ground in front of him.

Mr. Guiy slowly got to his feet. "Stupid Oracle..." he murmured. It was obvious he was in something of a daze.

"I take it we can accept that as a confession," Prosecutor Shield said. "I doubt he'd have a breakdown like that unless he was confessing to the murder."

"That spy's a criminal... Everybody wants them dead anyways... I was doing the world a service by killing that girl..." Mr. Guiy muttered.

"However, she was not the one," I frowned. "Ms. Rinko could not have been the spy since she was present at the one and only public sighting of Oracle."

"She must have done something...! Nobody is that suspicious when it comes to that project unless they know something!" yelled Mr. Guiy. "You can do whatever you want to me in prison, but I'll never regret killing somebody who was so close with the Oracle of the Law!"

"Bailiff! Arrest this man at once!" came the cry of Judge Frost. A bailiff with purple hair saluted him and snapped handcuffs around Mr. Guiy's wrists before leading him from the courtroom.

"It appears that it is time for me to hand down my verdict for one Anton Burke," Judge Frost said once Mr. Guiy was gone from sight. "Are there any objections from the defense or prosecution regarding this?"

I shook my head after exchanging a quick glance with Lily. "The defense has no objections, Your Honor," I told him.

"The prosecution doesn't object either," Prosecutor Shield nodded. "It's time that we end this mess of a trial and set the victim to rest."

The judge nodded. "I am going to miss the presence of Ms. Rinko in this hall of justice... But for now, it is time for me to hand down my verdict for Anton Burke. "This court finds Mr. Anton Burke not guilty. And with that, court is adjourned!" the judge exclaimed, raising his gavel up slightly before hitting it against the podium before him, putting rest to the trial once and for all.

At least, that's what I thought at the time.

**February 13**

**Defendant Lobby No. 1**

**2:45 PM**

**Lily Shield**

"That was amazing, Mr. Morix!" I exclaimed once we were out in the defendant lobby. "I had heard that you were good, but that was some trial! I swear, it was like you did that effortlessly!"

"I'm glad it impressed you, Lily," Mr. Morix told me with a warm smile. "I try my hardest when it comes to important trials like this. I had to put Venus to rest for one thing, but on top of that-"

"Daddy!"

We turned to see Mr. Burke running towards us. He wasn't wearing any sunglasses now like he had been at some points during the trial. He threw his arms around Mr. Morix and pulled him in close. Mr. Morix hugged him back as well, a smile on his face. "Hey there, Anton," he grinned.

"Daddy?" I echoed. "Is there some sort of... other arrangement between the two of you or something?"

Mr. Morix let out a laugh. "I promise it's not what you're thinking. Anton here is Polly's adoptive daughter, as you know. We've been dating for roughly two years now, and because Anton never had another father figure, I'm pretty much his father in his eyes," he explained. "Why do you think Polly requested me instead of somebody from a larger agency? She knows I get the job done."

Speaking of Ms. Burke, she came walking over not long after. She took Mr. Morix's hand once Mr. Burke had pulled away from the embrace they had been sharing. She kissed him on the cheek lightly, though she had to get on tip toe to do so due to being about eight inches shorter than Mr. Morix. His face went red at the sudden peck, but I could tell that it made him at least a little happy.

"Great job in there," she told him. "I knew I picked the right guy for the job." She punched his arm gently, which he responded to with a small laugh. If it was at all possible, he went even more red at this statement and action.

"I-It was nothing..." he murmured to her, clearly embarrassed. "I'm just glad that we got everything sorted out. The man who killed Venus is behind bars and is awaiting his own trial. On top of that, Anton is free to go back home with you tonight."

"Speaking of Guiy, I'd be glad to prosecute him if you want me to. He killed your partner of two years. I won't go easy on him after what he did," Ms. Burke told him. Dark determination shone in her eyes. It didn't take a genius to see that she was deadly serious about this.

"Ghastly already offered. Unless you want to be with him, it isn't going to happen," Mr. Morix told her. "Sorry about that, Polly. He said it was the least he could do for me, Yuri, and Cassidy now that Venus is no longer with us."

Ms. Burke let out a small sigh. "I should be happy. He's doing work for the first time in what feels like ten years, so I can't really complain. You know how Ghastly hates work. He spends half his time sleeping or playing around with that sister of yours. Erm, the older one," she told him.

Mr. Morix let out a small laugh. "Yeah. I can barely remember an occasion even now when he focused his attention into working. I haven't a clue how he went from being just Ghastly to Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, but I'm not complaining. When he's willing to help out, he's good at what he does," he responded. The way that they were speaking was incredibly casual. It seemed pretty clear that they were close, so them dating seemed natural now that I was truly paying attention to the way that they behaved around one another.

"Hey."

I turned around at hearing a voice from behind me. There was a young girl standing there. It took me a moment to recognize where I had seen her before, but when I did, I let out a gasp. This was the girl who had approached me during the recess!

"H-Hi!" I exclaimed, waving to her lightly. I still didn't know her name, so there wasn't much that I could say to her aside from a simple greeting.

"I thought I saw you in the gallery," remarked Mr. Morix. He took a small step towards the girl, a sad frown on his face. "How are you holding up? I know that times are a bit tough right now since Venus is gone... Is there anything I can do for you or Cassidy? Just name it."

The girl shook her head. "We're doing fine," she said solemnly, but it was clear to me that she was lying. "You did what you needed to. I'm glad you were able to catch her killer. I don't want to dishonor Venus and her memory by letting the one who killed her get away with the murder. She would have a word or two to say about that, and I doubt they would be positive."

"You're right on that," Mr. Morix agreed. "My new lawyer was able to help out. Well, one of the two new ones. Deirdre isn't here today. You'll be able to meet her next month when they officially start working. I had to improvise since you couldn't help me and my sister was too much of a mess to even leave her room."

"She and Venus were really close before she died... I was wondering why Chrysalis wasn't standing with you during the trial, but that explanation most certainly makes sense. She can be a bit of an emotional wreck at times," the girl said. She let out a small laugh, but it didn't take a genius to see that she was forcing it so Mr. Morix wouldn't worry much. I wasn't quite sure how they knew each other, but they seemed to be close. I didn't want to be rude and butt in on their conversation when things were so grim and serious. That would probably be bad etiquette or something.

"You'll still want to work at the agency even if Venus is no longer with us, right? If not, then I completely understand, as it might be a bit rough on you without your sister..." Mr. Morix's voice trailed off after that. I nodded to myself at his words. This was the victim's younger sister. I didn't know what her name was, but this was enough information for the time being.

"No, I want to stay with you. Venus would want me to stay with you as one of your assistants. Plus, I need to assert my dominance as the senior to your new workers. I've been with you longer than they have, so it's a requirement of the Yuri Code that I do something like that," the girl told him. She grinned to herself next and laughed mischievously under her breath. Ms. Burke looked at her with an odd expression, as if she were confused yet intrigued. I was the same, but I wasn't ready to get into the conversation yet. I didn't know this girl, who seemed to call herself Yuri, so I was staying uninvolved.

"Speaking of new employees," Yuri said, snapping me out of my daze. She turned my direction and met my eyes with hers. I wasn't entirely sure if she had another eye since the second was hiding behind her hair, but I was going to assume she had two. "Thanks for helping to find the one who killed my sister."

I figured now was the best time to say something since she was addressing me, so I nodded and gulped before speaking. "No problem," I told her. She had been so serious when I had been talking to her during the recess. I never would have guessed that she was so nerdy and talkative from our earlier interactions. I had to admit, she seemed like a sweet kid.

"Well, I should be on my way," said Yuri. "My mom has been a wreck all day because of Venus being gone... It isn't as if I can blame her for that, though. Her oldest daughter was murdered in cold blood. That's a rough sort of thing to go through, you know?"

"I understand that completely," Mr. Morix nodded. "I was going to ask you and Cassidy to come and have some burgers with me, Polly, and Anton now that the case is over and Venus can properly rest in the afterlife, but I get the feeling that you and your sister want to be with your mother."

Yuri looked down. "Yeah... It's going to be difficult until we get used to all of this. It was all so sudden... But I shouldn't linger. I'll see you at the agency soon. I have dominance to assert," she told him. "I'll see you around." With that said, Yuri turned on her heel and dashed off to see a girl with white and black hair and an older woman with deep brown hair and pink streaks. She looked a lot like the Ms. Venus Rinko I had seen in the victim profile section of the court papers Mr. Morix and I had shared. That had to be her mother and sister, the ones Yuri had mentioned. The group walked out once Yuri was with them, leaving just me, Mr. Morix, Ms. Burke, and Anton in the conversation we had been having.

"You mentioned heading out for burgers now that we're done here," Ms. Burke remarked. "You didn't even tell us that you were planning on having us come with you to go somewhere. I think it's important to mention it to the people you're inviting, Cotoli. Wouldn't you have to agree?"

Mr. Morix let out a laugh. "I suppose you'd be right on that, Polly. Do you and Anton want to come with me to have a celebratory burger lunch? We ended up having to skip lunch since the trial ended up running long, so I could personally use a bit of food. What about you two?" he asked of them.

"I-I'd love to go to lunch w-with you, D-Daddy..." Mr. Burke stuttered. He smiled in the direction of Mr. Morix, who responded by picking him up. Mr. Morix's hands found their place beneath Anton's arms as he lifted him into the air. Anton giggled and raised his hands into the air out of excitement.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was your real father since you two are so close," Ms. Burke remarked.

"H-He's the only Daddy I-I need!" Mr. Burke chirped. He laughed a bit more before Mr. Morix set him down. The older lawyer picked him up bridal style next, which made Anton laugh even more. Ms. Burke smiled on at the cute scene. I could tell she cared for them by the look in her eyes, even if she came off as the type to hide that sort of affection.

"I'd be happy to come to lunch with you," Ms. Burke said, getting back on topic. "I can tell that Anton would be much happier to do that than go home. He spent the past day in the detention center. We all know how terrible the detention center is."

"Yeah. He deserves a break after that. I doubt he slept much... Poor thing..." Mr. Morix rocked Mr. Burke in his arms gently, which made the young boy giggle and hug him. Mr. Morix smiled in response and pulled him a bit closer.

"A-Are we ready to g-go?" Mr. Burke asked. "I-I don't want t-to stay here any longer..."

Mr. Morix nodded before looking my way. "Lily, do you want to come with us to get some food in celebration of the victory from the trial?" he asked.

I considered it for a moment before shaking my head. "No, I'm good. I should probably be going to talk to my brother and then head home. I'm too wiped from that epic trial to go out, so I'll be on my way, if that's alright with you, Mr. Morix," I told him.

"That's just fine, Lily. I'll see you another time. I trust that you'll be at the agency in a month or so when I'll be properly introducing you to your coworkers. I'm sure that you'll like the agency. I'll be looking forward to that day. You proved yourself in that trial today, so I know I made the right choice when it came to taking in a new pupil," Mr. Morix said.

I could feel my face going bright red at the compliment. "Th-Thanks, Mr. Morix... I'm glad you asked me to come and help you in the trial today. It was a great case. Murder might not be the best introduction to the legal world, but I loved watching you in action," I grinned. "I hope that not all cases hit that close to home for you, but... I'll be looking forward to exciting cases like the one from today."

Mr. Morix smiled my way in response. "I'm sure we'll see many a unique turnabout in the future. I'll be looking forward to when you come to the agency to work permanently. You'll be a welcome addition to the team," he said. "But for now, I believe it's time for us to go our separate ways. I'll be seeing you soon, Lily. You stay out of trouble for the time being, you hear?"

I nodded. "Alright. I'll see you later, Mr. Morix!" I exclaimed, I waved his direction before turning on my heel and skipping off to find my brother. We had come here in separate cars, so we wouldn't be riding home together, but I might as well talk to him a little bit before we headed for our shared home.

I ended up searching most of the courthouse before deciding to check my phone. He had sent me a text saying that he had to check something at the Prosecutor's Office before coming home. I let out a sigh at having wasted my time before heading for the courthouse entrance.

When I arrived out there, I saw Mr. Morix talking to Ms. Willows. They were talking rather loudly, so I could easily hear them. I swear, I wasn't intending to eavesdrop! I'm not that bad of a person, honestly!

"Do you think you'd be able to give me a ride home, Mr. Morix?" Ms. Willows asked. She practically had to look straight up to meet his eyes due to the height difference between them.

"Do you need one?" Mr. Morix asked.

Ms. Willows nodded. "I rode here on the bus, but... I don't think the bus is going to be coming for another hour or so..." she murmured. "Would it be okay if you helped me out here?"

Mr. Morix nodded. "Of course," he said. "I'd be glad to help you out. Can you give me instructions to get there?"

Ms. Willows nodded a second time as Mr. Morix opened up the door of his car, which I realized they were standing next to. "I hope this isn't taking up too much of your time... I heard that you were going to head to lunch with the defendant... Are you sure this won't be too much of a bother for you? I can wait for the bus if that hold be more convenient," Ms. Willows said.

"Don't you worry about it. Polly and Anton can wait a few extra minutes if it means you'll be getting home safely," Mr. Morix assured her. He stepped into the driver's seat of his car and hit a button. A clicking noise rang out as the other doors on the car unlocked.

Ms. Willows stepped into the car and pulled the door shut behind her. I saw her smile to herself, but it had an odd vibe to it, like she was hiding a big secret or two that she wasn't going to share with anyone. Mr. Morix was saying something, but I couldn't quite tell what it was. Ms. Willows laughed once he had finished as a small tear streamed down her face. Not long after I noticed the tear, she and Mr. Morix had disappeared from view, leaving me alone with my curiosity about what had happened between them.

I figured it wasn't important and that it was none of my business, so it was time for me to head out. Robbie was probably going to wonder what happened to me and why I was taking so long. His text about needing to swing by the Prosecutor's Office had been sent a while ago, so if he ended up getting home before me, he'd panic and worry the way big brothers like him did. For his sanity and my own, it was time for me to head home.

**February 13**

**Roberto and Lily Shield's House**

**6:30 PM**

**Lily Shield**

It was a few hours before Robbie ended up arriving home. I fortunately did not end up in trouble with my brother when I got back, as I beat him by a few hours. I ended up relaxing on the couch for a few hours, choosing to watch a few episodes of whatever new sitcom was on TV at the time.

This all came to a close when the garage door opened. I could hear the large door opening from my place on the couch. I popped a piece of popcorn into my mouth as I acknowledged his arrival. Robbie normally didn't like it when I had big snacks like popcorn before dinner when it was this close to time to eat, but since he wasn't home, I couldn't get in trouble. I finished up my last few pieces, dusting my hands off into my popcorn bowl as I did so. I got to my feet and walked to the sink before setting the bowl inside. I rinsed it out when Robbie walked into the house.

"Hey, Lily," he said loudly as he shut the door behind him. I turned off the sink and went to greet him.

"Hey, Robbie. You sure took a while to get home. About four hours have passed since the end of the trial," I commented. "What was it that had you at the Prosecutor's Office for so long? Shouldn't you have been able to just come back after the trial since you were in court today?"

"It was of my own free will," Robbie told me. "I wanted to look into a few profiles when it came to this case. Something about it just bothered me, though I couldn't really put a finger on it at the time."

"Did you eventually figure out what it was that was bugging you?" I asked. "I doubt you could have been there for four hours without figuring it out."

Robbie nodded. "Yeah, I got it before I left," I heard him say. He took a seat on the couch. I went to sit next to him once I was finished in the kitchen.

"Well, what was it? You have to tell me now that you've brought it up in the first place," I told him. "I'll have to beg you if you don't tell me, which would kind of waste our time. I don't think you want to go through something like that though, right?" I asked.

"You won't need to beg me, Lily," Robbie said. "I'll tell you what it was gladly, but I don't want you to tell anybody about this. It's incredibly important. I don't want this sort of information to get to anybody else, okay?"

I was shocked at his sudden change to being so serious. I knew that he could get solemn at times, but the changes were rarely this sudden. "Um... Sure. I get it. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to. What's bothering you? I can tell that whatever you found out is bugging you for some reason," I told him, a frown of worry on my face.

"It's about the witness from today's trial. Something about her, the way she held herself, bothered me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was something odd. Once I got to the Prosecutor's Office and looked through the files that we were keeping there, I realized what it was that was bugging me. It's going to surprise you, I can assure you that much. Like I said, though, I don't want you telling anyone. It might end up biting us later on. It could be dangerous," he told me.

"Robbie, you're scaring me. You don't need to build this up so much. I swear, I won't tell anyone. Just tell me what's going on," I demanded of him. Panic was laced in my voice by now. With the way he was setting this up, I was more than a bit frightened. Robbie could get solemn, sure, but when he went this far, it was something really bad.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I promise," Robbie said next. He reached for his bag, which I noticed had been propped up on the floor next to the couch. I had been distracted with watching out my popcorn bowl when he came in, so I hadn't seen it before "You brought the files with you, didn't you?" I asked. This was just like him. Like most lawyers, he loved his proof, even when he wasn't inside the courtroom. I suppose that after a while, that stuff just gets forced into your brain.

Robbie nodded. "Two years ago, the Oracle of the Law entered the news as a soy that wanted to expose corrupt legal issues in court. Evidence forgeries and hidden crimes have come to light because of the work of this spy," he explained to me.

"I heard about it in the trial," I recalled. "Even before today, I knew that Oracle was a thing. Everybody knows by now. There's all sorts of controversy about if they're just for doing this sort of thing to bring illegal dealings to light."

"I'm glad you're informed," Robbie said. "However, I believe that this Oracle isn't as far away as people think. Oracle seems untouched by most since nobody from the general public has any idea who they might be, but I don't think that we are quite so far from the one who's behind this spy project."

"What makes you say that?" I questioned. "Do you think we've seen Oracle recently? That seems a bit crazy, Robbie. I know that sometimes lawyers need to follow with odd and strange theories to reach the truth, but this just seems like it's going a bit too far in my eyes."

Robbie handed me a small stack of papers. It was the file for Ms. Willows. "The information in this file began two years ago, just like the Oracle of the Law. On top of that, today during the trial, Ms. Willows showed us a scar on the back of her hand. Oracle received a scar on the back of their hand during the trial a year ago where they were exposed. If you ask me, this is too much of a coincidence to truly be just chance."

My eyes went wide. "What are you implying here? This is crazy... How could this even be possible?" I questioned, my head now wild and racing with all sorts of questions. I recalled Ms. Willows getting into Mr. Morix's car and driving away with him and the odd smile that had appeared on her lips.

"I'm implying that today, in the trial of Anton Burke," Robbie began to say, "I, along with everybody else in that courtroom, was deceived by none other than the one and only Oracle of the Law."

**TURNABOUT IGNITION**

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about how late I was in posting this. I had a lot of stuff to do this past week, so I didn't really have time to upload here. I'm going to get on top of it better soon though.   
> Next time I update, we're going to start the next case! Yay!  
> Until next time, I hope you enjoyed!  
> -Digital


	6. Turnabout Breakdown, Part 1

"I can't believe it's already been a month... Even so, I need to talk to him about why he did it... No sane person would kill a teenager over some stupid online forum."

"I hate working the night shift... Nothing ever happens..."

"Where is he...? He has to be around here somewhere... He couldn't have just disappeared..."

"Hm... That guard seems to be in a panic... I wonder why... Maybe I should go ask... He was coming from the courtyard, it looks like..."

"Is he around here? He has to b-EEEEEEEEK-!"

"What the-?! M-Murder! Call for help! One of the inmates is dead!"

**March 17**

**Morix Law Offices**

**8:45 AM**

**Cotoli Morix**

About a month had passed since the murder in the parking lot of the agency. A sense of normalcy had come over the agency by now, but the office still felt empty now that Venus was gone. Yuri hadn't been around as much on top of that, so it was just me and my sister.

Speaking of her, Chrysalis came walking into the room not long after. She had her hands, which were hidden by black fingerless gloves, clasped over her chest. She wore a gray sweater over a turquoise shirt with black leggings. On her feet were black combat boots. Chrysalis' lengthy honey blonde hair was tied into a braid that reached her thighs. Her blue eyes were framed by bronze glasses.

"They're going to be here soon. Are you ready?" I asked of her.

Chrysalis nodded as she walked over to the table in the center of the meeting area where we were located. She picked up her necklace, which had two pearls and a teal Magatama on it, and put it on. "Yeah. When they walk in, I'm going to tell them, 'I'm Chrysalis, welcome to our haunted agency.'"

I sighed. "You really shouldn't lead with that. These are the first new lawyers we're inviting to the agency. We don't want to scare them away with talk of ghosts," I told her.

"The truth is going to come out eventually, regardless of if we tell them up front or not. The truth always finds a way out, whether it's in court or out. You know that," Chrysalis said next. She straightened up the stack of case files on the meeting table.

"I know," I muttered, a frown appearing on my face. Chrysalis looked my way with worried eyes before walking to my side and hugging me. I pulled her in a bit closer, comforted by her touch. Even if she was seven years younger than me, she was still able to comfort me easier than my father had ever been able to.

"We should head down into the lobby," Chrysalis told me. "They're going to be coming soon. We want to be ready for when they arrive so they don't wander around and find something they shouldn't."

"You make a good point," I agreed. We headed for the staircase outside the meeting room and started down to the lobby.

The agency that we had called ours for the past two years had five floors. It had luckily been within our budget when we first got it, so we had been here ever since. The bottom floor had the lobby where we often met up with clients. The reception desk, which had previously been run by Venus, though Chrysalis had taken over since then, was also there. The second floor had the break room, the meeting area, and the file room, which had all sorts of case files and books about the law in it. It was our own personal library. The third, fourth, and fifth floors had offices and such. Chrysalis and I were on the top floor. We had a bedroom hiding on that floor as well, though it was behind lock and key so only we were allowed inside. That was where we hung out with our cat, Thea. Because we spent so much time here, we had just moved in after a while when our apartment's rent grew too expensive. It was a large place, but at the same time, it was cozy and felt a lot more like home than one would expect.

Chrysalis took her place behind the reception desk and sat down. She tapped her fingers on the desk without thought, staring at the bell that hung above the door. I sat down in one of the three chairs on the right side of the room. I was facing the matching three on the other side of the room. I had told everyone to be here in a few minutes, so it was just a matter of time before they showed up, assuming they were punctual. I knew Yuri would be late since that was just how she worked, but maybe Deirdre and Lily would be on time.

"So... You mentioned that you were on a case with one of these guys a month back, right?" Chrysalis asked as she continued to watch the bell.

I nodded. "Yeah. Venus' murder. While you were here holding the fort, Lily helped me out in finding the killer. Ghastly and Cassidy locked him up afterwards," I explained.

"Did she seem nice?" Chrysalis questioned next. The tapping of her fingers was almost mesmerizing due to my exhaustion. I had stayed up late the night before to prepare the agency for the new recruits.

"Yes. Her brother is Roberto Shield, a prosecutor working under Ghastly. I'm sure you've met him at some point, am I right?" I asked.

"I think I saw him when I went to pick up Anton. He wanted to go home before Polly, so I picked him up and took him home. Polly was talking to a Prosecutor Shield at the time, so it would make sense if that was the guy, right? Unless there's another guy with the same name, then it must be him," Chrysalis said. She continued to tap on the desk in her boredom.

The bell above the door let out a clinging sound as it opened. I turned to look at the entrance, where I saw a young woman standing in the doorway. She was holding onto the handle tightly, clearly nervous based on the look in her eyes. "This is Morix Law Offices, correct?" she asked.

The woman had black hair tied into a bun on top of her head. A few loose strands flowed around her face, blowing gently in the breeze from outside. Her skin was pale, a stark contrast from the dark blue eyes hidden behind white glasses. She had a sky blue suit jacket on over a white shirt. She had a pencil skirt of the same blue on. Her heels were white and shone in a dull way under the agency's main lobby light.

"You must be Deirdre," I said, rising to my feet. "Deirdre Brigit, correct?"

The woman nodded slowly. "Yes... Are you Mr. Morix?" she questioned.

"Indeed I am," I replied. Chrysalis got up as I said this, her eyes solemn as she stared at Deirdre. She was ready to retreat into her shell of shyness if Deirdre looked her way even though she had just arrived.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Morix," Deirdre said, extending her hand for a shake.

I accepted it with a nod. "As to you," I replied. "We're planning to begin the proper introductions when the other newcomer arrives. She'll be here in a few minutes, I hope."

I wasn't going to hold everybody back from meeting one another if Yuri was late. She usually was, so I knew what to expect by now. It was best if everybody just met her later on. That would make things easier for everyone.

"I understand," Deirdre told me. She looked around the room, taking in the scenery. "You have a nice place here, Mr. Morix."

"Thank you," I smiled. "I'm glad to hear you say that."

"Are you starting this without me?"

The bell above the door rang out a second time. This time, the one standing in the doorway was Lily, a bright smile on her face. Once she was inside, she waved my way. "Hi, Mr. Morix!" she exclaimed.

"Hello, Lily," I greeted. I smiled to her and gestured for her to come closer. "We were just about to introduce ourselves."

"Where's Yuri?" Chrysalis asked, looking my way with a raised eyebrow. "We can't start it up without her being here, can we?"

"I figured that she was going to be late, so I figured we might as well get started early and let her introduce herself later on. You know how she is," I told her.

"Yeah, I do... Wise decision on your part," Chrysalis nodded.

"Who is this?" Lily asked, looking to Chrysalis. She gasped at being addressed so suddenly, causing her to look down in silence. Chrysalis had never been the best when it came to meeting new people, something I knew well, so I figured it was best to just leave her to her silence for now.

"This is Chrysalis. She's my little sister," I explained. "Chrysalis, this is Lily Shield. She's the one I took the case with last month."

"Thanks for finding Venus' killer," Chrysalis told Lily, her face deadpan. She was probably wondering if it was safe to trust Lily.

"It was my pleasure, Ms. Morix," Lily smiled to Chrysalis.

"It's Starr. Chrysalis Starr. Cotoli and I are half-siblings," Chrysalis explained. "And just Chrysalis is fine. You don't need to be so formal. We're coworkers, after all."

"My name is Deirdre Brigit. It's nice to meet you, Chrysalis," Deirdre said. She held out her hand for a shake, so Chrysalis shook it. She didn't look a bit more at ease with Deirdre than she had with Lily, so her trust examination was still going on.

"Nice to meet you too..." Chrysalis responded softly. She shuffled back to my side once they were done shaking hands.

"I'm Lily. I'm glad to meet you, Deirdre," Lily piped in next. "You look pretty nice today. That jacket really goes with your eyes."

Deirdre's face went pink at the compliment. She began to twirl a strand of her black hair over her finger. "Thank you..." she said quietly.

Lily giggled and shot her a thumbs-up. "No problem. I just say it like it is," she told Deirdre.

Chrysalis looked at Lily a little bit closer, a gasp escaping her lips in the process. "Hey... You're wearing a Magatama around your neck..." she whispered.

Lily looked down, fingering her necklace. She hadn't been wearing it the day of Venus' trial, so maybe she had forgotten it or something. There was a pearl on either side of the Magatama. The stone was a red color. "Yeah. I'm a spirit medium. You're wearing one too. Are you a medium as well?" she asked.

Chrysalis nodded and looked at her necklace as well. Her Magatama was teal, also framed by pearls to make it match Lily's even more closely. "I am... Cotoli and I come from a medium family, or at least a branch of one. I ended up with the ability to channel over him though," Chrysalis replied.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my own stone. It was deep blue in color. "I have one, too. It's for the purpose of seeing if people are lying. It was blessed with spiritual power to be able to do that," I told her.

"Mine is the same," Lily said. "It's pretty useful for finding out if witnesses are telling the truth, wouldn't you say?"

I nodded. "Yeah. This thing has saved my life more times than I can count. I'm sure you'll find it to be just as useful as I have. You end up using it quite a bit in the criminal defense profession, especially when cases aren't what they first appear," I went on. "You might even use it in your first case."

"Speaking of spirit mediums, I have a question, if you don't mind," Lily said next. She began to frown, so I was worried that we were in for something bad.

"Go on ahead," I told her, caught off guard at her sudden change in attitude.

"There wouldn't happen to be a ghost in here, would there? I just feel like I can sense an otherworldly presence here," Lily remarked with a small frown.

"Ha! I told you that the truth would come out!" Chrysalis exclaimed, pointing to me triumphantly. "The fact that this agency is haunted cannot be hidden any longer!"

I let out a small sigh. "I suppose that you were right. I'm just glad we didn't lead with that."

"What is all this about ghosts?" Deirdre questioned, raising an eyebrow my way.

"I think there's a ghost or spirit here. It's a little part of my spiritual power that tells me that," explained Lily.

"You'd be right. This was the only place within our budget when we first got it, so we ignored the fact that it was haunted at first. I could sense it the second we first walked through the door. Now, we have the option to leave, but this place is like home now. We can't just leave it. So we just live with the agency's friendly ghost. We haven't had anything weird happen yet, so they've got to be friendly," Chrysalis told Lily. "We don't know who it is though. We haven't gotten any indicators that it's a boy or a girl, a name, appearance, or anything else for that matter, so we can't channel them and ask why they're haunting this agency of all places."

"I doubt that anybody died in here, so there has to be some other reason for it," Lily said next. "Maybe if we don't get any cases we can look into it."

"Whoever it is, they've been here for a long time. The building was about to be taken down since it had been abandoned for nearly thirty years. That's how we were able to afford it despite it just being me working here. We don't know what it was before it was abandoned, nor do we ever expect to find out," I explained. "It would be nice to know though, I must admit. The mysterious ghost of a Morix Law Offices will have to remain a mystery until we can learn about what happened thirty years ago."

"I can look into it. I'm sure there's somebody out there who knows," Chrysalis said. "There aren't any secrets that are fully hidden in this world. There always was or is someone who knows the full truth behind the situation. It's just a matter of figuring out who that person is to get the information you seek."

Before we had the chance to say something else, Chrysalis' phone went off. She picked it up from the surface of the reception desk and turned it on. "I can't stay," she sighed. "I have another place to be, it seems. I should head out."

"Get a bag together before you head out," I told her.

"I know. You can never be too safe." Chrysalis smiled my way as she headed for the elevator. "I'll be out in a few minutes. You make sure the new girls don't cause any trouble, okay? Can't have them wrecking the agency on their first day, can we?"

I laughed as she stepped into the elevator and closed the door. She waved before disappearing completely from view. I reciprocated the action before turning back to Deirdre and Lily.

"I may not have any sort of lie-exposing stone like you three, but I hope I can still be of assistance," Deirdre said next to change the subject back to what it had been before.

"I heard that you took classes on psychology before graduating from college. I was also told from one of your professors that you were a star student when it came to psychology as well," I told her. "There is no doubt in my mind that you'll be able to help us out with this skill of yours."

"I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Morix. Is there anything in particular that you think I would be of use for?" Deirdre questioned.

I nodded. "You'd be surprised at how many witnesses came close to breaking down on the stand for some reason or another. I'm sure that a bit of psychology will be helpful with making sure that they're alright," I said next.

"Last month, when Mr. Morix had me helping out on a case, the first witness nearly broke down completely," Lily told Deirdre. "We ended up helping her out, but your psychology would have been a help for sure."

"I might have to put you on the next case we get to see what your skills are like in action," I said to Deirdre.

"I'm sure that it's nowhere near as impressive as you are in court," Deirdre cut in. She was red with embarrassment by this point thanks to the flattery she had received. "Even so, I can do my best to show that I'm worthy to work at your agency."

"You'll do great. I can promise that much," I smiled to Deirdre. She somehow grew even more red and flustered at these words.

We didn't get the chance to say much else. Lily's phone went off this time around. "I'm sorry," she said. "I forgot to silence it before I came in here... Wait, it looks like there was a murder at the prison."

"Yeah. That's where I'm going."

Chrysalis walked out of the elevator, backpack strapped to her shoulders. "I got a text about it, so I need to go and check it out. Maybe you guys could head to the detention center to speak with the suspect," she said. "See you later." She walked to the door and left through it so Deirdre, Lily, and I were the only ones there.

Lily unlocked her phone to read the notification that had popped up. Deirdre and I both peered over her shoulder to see what it was. It appeared to be a news article.

"'This morning, a body was discovered in the courtyard of the prison in the city. The victim has yet to be confirmed, but a few rumors state that it is Buff Guiy, a man convicted of the murder of Venus Rinko a month ago,'" Lily read. She turned to me with a gasp. "Mr. Morix! That's the culprit from our case last month! And if this article is to be believed..."

"He's dead," I frowned. "Keep reading."

"'Guiy's body was found suspended from the prison's main watchtower that overlooked the courtyard. He was shot to death early this morning,'" Lily continued.

"It sounds like we have ourselves a case," I remarked. I looked to Deirdre. "It looks like you'll be able to show off your psychological skills a bit sooner than expected. Someone has to get arrested for this crime. We might as well see if we can defend them."

"M-Me?" Deirdre asked, her eyes going wide in shock. "I-I don't know if that's a good idea. I don't have any real experience in the courtroom..."

"You need to start somewhere," I told her. "I'll send Yuri your way when I hear from her. She's a nice complement to your personality, so she can probably help you out in your investigation. Lily and I can look over the agency for today. You go out and investigate the case."

"Well... You seem rather confident in me, so I suppose I could try to do that. I won't let you down, Mr. Morix," Deirdre nodded. "I'll do what I can to prove our client innocent... Lily, did the article mention anyone being arrested for the crime? I might need to drop by the detention center before going to the crime scene to make sure that I can defend them."

Lily scanned through the article a little longer before shaking her head. "'No suspect has been announced for the crime yet,'" she read. "This article came out a few hours ago though. I just didn't get the notification until just now. I bet there's somebody as a suspect now, but you can't really go to the detention center and ask to see someone you don't know the name of."

"I'll surely figure out who it is when I get there. I'll see you later," Deirdre said. She turned on her heel and headed for the door, waving to Lily and I before disappearing from sight.

I pulled out my phone next to text Yuri. She was bound to see it soon regardless of how late she was. I was sure she'd like to help out on Deirdre's first case, so she'd appreciate the gesture. I just hope she didn't end up coming to the agency before hearing she was supposed to be down at the prison to help Deirdre...

**March 17**

**Prison Courtyard**

**10:00 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

When I first arrived on the crime scene, the first thing that I noticed was the large number of police officers. I had managed to get past the guards by showing my attorney's badge. As for the rest of the officers I would just have to hope that they didn't get too mad at me being on the scene.

There was already tape outlining the body. The corpse itself was lying on the ground as a few people crouched over it. Other inspectors were searching through the bushes scattered around the courtyard. It was rather green in this area. I suspected that there was another outdoor area of the building that was much less natural in appearance, which would explain the lack of cement.

I walked over to the body, hoping to get at least a glimpse of it. However, one of the officers spotted me and pushed me away. "No kids allowed at the crime scene, girly," he said roughly. I stumbled backwards, trying my hardest to not fall backwards in front of so many people. I watched the officer turn back to his work, muttering something inappropriate under his breath as he did so. I glared quietly, hoping I wouldn't have to face anyone else quite so hostile.

I figured that it was best to stay away from the body for now, as I didn't want to end up in trouble again quite yet. There wasn't much else I could do though. Without looking at the body, I wouldn't know any details about how he died, which would be important when it came to tracking down the killer in court. I assumed the trial was set for tomorrow, so I had to look at the corpse as soon as possible.

"You must be the defense attorney on this case."

I turned upon hearing the voice. I saw a pair of people walking towards me. They both looked like detectives judging by the way nobody had freaked out upon their arrival. The shorter one was a woman. She had green hair that reached her hips. The top layer was tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were green, but they were hidden behind large brown glasses. She had a black jacket with matching leggings on. Her boots were black and reached her knees. A lime green shirt was beneath her jacket. I also noticed a black backpack was on her back.

The second person was a man. He had black hair that was left untamed. Most of it was hidden beneath a flat green hat though. He had a large brown coat on over a gray shirt. He had black trousers and shoes on as well. His wrist had a gold and silver watch on it that shone in the overhead sunshine despite clearly showing some signs of age. His green eyes were staring at me tiredly. I was pretty sure that he had been the one to speak to me since the voice had been masculine.

"Y-Yes, I am the attorney on the case, as a matter of fact," I said. "My name is Deirdre Brigit. Who might you two be?"

"I'm Toby Erikson, the lead detective on this case," the man replied. I noticed that he had a file in his hands. I couldn't tell quite what it was, but I assumed that it was something to do with the case.

"And I'm Jo Jade. You could call me Detective Erikson's... I'm his temporary assistant," he woman said. "So... You're the one defending the suspect, huh?"

I nodded. "Yes, I am. I haven't heard much about the case, I'm afraid. Would one of you be able to tell me the details?" I asked. "I came here from my agency upon hearing a murder had taken place, but I didn't hear the finer points."

Detective Jade nodded cheerfully. She took off her backpack and pulled a notepad from it. After flipping through the pages, she began to summarize what she had written down. "The crime took place between five and six this morning. The victim was one Buff Guiy. He was 46 years old when he died. His gender is male. Last month, he was convicted of the murder of Venus Rinko and was given the sentence of jail for life. The victim was shot once, which killed him instantly. The bullet was embedded in his heart. We are unable to figure out where the bullet came from. The ballistic markings don't match up with any guns here in the courtyard, or in the rest of the prison, so we don't know which gun did this or where it is. Unfortunate, wouldn't you agree?" Detective Jade told me. "We have a witness for this crime, but she didn't see the killing itself, instead walking in on the defendant standing in front of the body."

"Who is this witness? I need to talk to them before the trial tomorrow," I said. "I doubt they've left the crime scene, so they must be somewhere in the prison."

"The witness is one Pandora Rell. She works as the assistant to the warden of this prison. Since he was out for the night, she was watching the prison. She heard a scream coming from the defendant, so she came running to see what was going on. That's when she saw the suspect standing near the body," Detective Jade went on.

"The body was found suspended from the watchtower looking over the courtyard. The rail around the top of it was the perfect size for the victim's foot to slip through the gap. He was hanging upside down when the body was found. The crime scene was messy because of the body being moved, so there was blood everywhere. We can't pinpoint exactly where the victim was killed because of this. What we do know is that he was suspended from the prison's watchtower after he had died, though," Detective Erikson explained.

"I see... It sounds like this case is going to be a bit difficult to solve," I observed.

"I agree... There isn't much evidence to support if the victim was or was not killed by the defendant. The details behind this crime are mostly unclear, I'm afraid," Detective Jade said. "Hopefully you'll be able to gather at least a little bit more before facing off against the prosecution tomorrow."

"Speaking of the prosecution, who will I be going up against?" I asked. I didn't know any of the local prosecutors, so I wouldn't immediately recognize them, but I was sure that Mr. Morix would be able to fill me in on at least something regarding the prosecution since he had been a lawyer for two years.

"Prosecutor Polly Burke is leading things tomorrow," Detective Erikson explained. "She will be assisted by Anton Burke, her adopted son. I'll be testifying for her tomorrow to provide a summary of the case."

"I see," I said with a nod. I made a mental note to ask Mr. Morix about this Prosecutor Polly Burke a bit later on. "I'll have to see her a bit later on. Maybe she'll have some information for me."

"I doubt you'll get much from her. She's a bit hostile, I'm afraid," Detective Erikson warned me.

"Speaking of Prosecutor Burke, I'm going to go and give her the autopsy report. I need to head to the precinct after, so I hope I'll be able to leave this to you, Detective Erikson," Detective Jade said.

Detective Erikson nodded. "It will be fine, detective. Don't run into any trouble," he told her. "I'll tell you what I gather from the investigation after it's wrapped up for today."

"Thank you," smiled Detective Jade before dashing off to deliver the autopsy report to Prosecutor Burke.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about the case?" I questioned of Detective Erikson.

"I can give you the autopsy report to start off with. Do you need it still?" Detective Erikson asked.

"No, I haven't gotten it yet. Do you have an extra copy?" I asked next.

Detective Erikson nodded and began shuffling through his small stack of files. Once he had found the one he was looking for, he handed it to me. It had a large label that read 'AUTOPSY REPORT' on it in bold letters, so it was obviously what I had been asking for.

"If there's anything else you need, feel free to ask. I'll get these guys cleared out for the time being so you can look at the body," Detective Erikson said. He gestured for all the officers in the immediate area to scatter, which they did quickly. He clearly held quite a bit of influence here.

"There is one question I have," I piped in.

"What is it?" Detective Erikson questioned.

"Who is the suspect for this case? I haven't heard their name yet and assume you'll be able to tell me," I said.

Detective Erikson nodded. "I sure can. Her name is Yuri Rinko."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about how long it took me to get this one up. Formatting these chapters takes ages since they're each 5k words or so which means I tend to avoid it. I apologize for that. On top of that, I've been sick recently, so I've had even less of a will to type.   
> I'll try to get back onto a regular update schedule soon. I'm going to try and upload my Digimon and Fire Emblem stories as well. I'll try and switch around on updating the different chapters each day.   
> Until next time, I hope you enjoyed!


	7. Turnabout Breakdown, Part 2

**March 17**

**Prison Courtyard**

**10:30 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

"Y-Yuri Rinko?" I asked. It took me a moment before I realized where I had heard the name before. Mr. Morix and Chrysalis had mentioned a 'Yuri' character back when the introductions at the office were beginning. They had said that she would likely be a bit late, but in the end, she never showed up. Mr. Morix had said that he would send her my way, but that still hadn't happened... Perhaps it was because she had ended up arrested for this murder.

"Yeah. Do you know her?" Detective Erikson questioned with a raised eyebrow.

I nodded. "I know of her at least. She seems to work as an assistant at the law office that I was recently asked to join," I explained. "Why did you arrest her for this murder?"

"She was found by the witness at the scene of the crime. On top of that, she's the only one without an alibi about when we believe the murder was committed. The time is listed in the autopsy report I gave you," Detective Erikson said.

I decided that now would be a good time for me to open up the autopsy report. I hadn't ever seen one of these before. I just hoped it was easy enough to understand for a newbie like me.

_Name: Buff Guiy_

_Age: 42_

_Gender: Male_

_Cause of Death: Bullet wound to heart killed victim instantly_

_Time of Death: 5-6 AM_

_Other: Victim was shot in left thigh prior to death by another bullet_

_~ Jasper Kent_

"So he was shot twice..." I murmured. "The time of death says that he died early this morning. What was the defendant doing here at that time?"

"The victim in this case was the one who killed her oldest sister, Venus Rinko. She died in a stabbing case last month. The current victim's trial wasn't until recently, so he was in the detention center until that point. About a week ago, he was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life in prison. In questioning, the defendant said that she was here to speak with him about the murder of her sister to extract more information from him on the subject," Detective Erikson explained. "Later, she found the body and was seen in front of it by our witness, the warden's assistant named Pandora Rell."

"And you believe that the defendant's wish to speak with the victim ended up changing into murderous intent?" I asked.

Detective Erikson nodded. "We think that she wanted revenge on him for being the one to take her sister away from her. Since she has no alibi, a motive, and was found with the body, we have to say that she's the most probably suspect at the moment," he said next.

"I'll have to speak with the witness later on," I murmured. "As for now, do you think I'd be able to examine the crime scene a bit? I'm going to need to make sure that I have a good understanding of it for the trial."

"Yeah. The trial is tomorrow," Detective Erikson remarked. "I feel bad for the lawyers involved since they never get much time to investigate for the trial."

"I hope I'll be able to get all the necessary information from what we have available today," I said.

"Hey! Deirdre!"

Before I could get started on my investigation, I turned upon hearing my name. Chrysalis was running towards me. Once she had caught up, she began panting as she held her chest. "C-Cotoli... Cotoli told me to... To help you investigate..." she told me between heavy breaths.

"Was it because he learned who the defendant was?" I asked.

Chrysalis nodded as she regained her composure. "Yeah... Since I was already here, he thought it would be best for me to help you."

"What were you even doing here?" I couldn't help but question.

"I was looking for Anton and Polly... Anton, one of my close friends from school, said that they were prosecuting this case. I was going to see if I could find him to hear any other details," she explained. "I couldn't find him, though. That means you'll have to get me up to speed on what you've heard so far abut the case."

"It was a murder. The victim, Buff Guiy, was shot in the heart and killed this morning. Because the defendant has no alibi, a motive, and an eyewitness account stated that she was with the body, she's the suspect for killing him. The police think it's revenge since the victim killed her sister," I told her.

"Venus..." Chrysalis whispered, looking down at the ground with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Well, now we have to defend her. We can't let her end up in trouble because of all this when she didn't do it. Yuri wouldn't hurt a fly. Sure, she's a bit odd at times, but she's still harmless. You know, unless you take the TV remote from her when she's trying to watch her favorite cartoon..."

"That's not all to the case, I'm afraid," Detective Erikson cut in. He pointed to the nearby prison watchtower. "You see that tower, right? The victim was found suspended from it. His legs were tangled in the guard rail to keep people from falling off the balcony up top. We had to take the body down so we could perform the autopsy, but there's still tape up there to outline where he was when the body was discovered."

"Was it like that when Yuri was found with it?" Chrysalis asked with a slight tilt of her head.

Detective Erikson nodded. "Yes. The eyewitness claimed that the body was hanging from the tower even when she saw the suspect with the corpse. It's doubtful that he was shot while up there since there's a lot of blood down here on the lawn. He was likely killed down here and then taken up to the watchtower after he had already died to be suspended," he explained to us.

"Let's start our investigation, speaking of the body," Chrysalis said. "We should be him with the watchtower and then move to the body before looking around he rest of the courtyard."

"It doesn't seem like this is your first time doing this, Chrysalis," I commented.

She shook her head. "No. I've always been working with Cotoli as one of his primary investigative partners. I've been at it since I was fifteen and the agency was founded two years ago," she told me.

"Wow. In that case, I guess you'll be the one leading me around for now. I have a bit to learn," I said. "It really isn't that hard... You just need to make sure that you know what you need to look into. Leave no stone unturned and you'll be fine," Chrysalis assured me as we walked over to the prison watchtower to look into the situation with the body's previous suspension.

The watchtower did indeed have the outline of a corpse the same stature as the victim. The arms were dangling down towards the ground. The feet did appear to have been caught between the railing's metal bars. They were the perfect width from what I could tell. Some blood was smeared on the watchtower, spelling out a short phrase.

"'Oracle will die,'" I read with a frown. "This must be talking about the Oracle of the Law. I'm sure that you've heard of the Oracle, right, Chrysalis? They've been all over the media for quite some time now."

Chrysalis let out a small gasp upon seeing the words. Shortly after, she began to glare at the message. "Oracle... It's their fault Venus is gone. I'll never forgive them," I heard her whisper, her voice now much darker and filled with hate.

"We believe that this message was left by the killer. We are sure that the defendant is aware of the reason that her sister was killed and its involvement with Oracle, so it would make sense if she had left it for the spy to say that she was going to get her revenge for being indirectly responsible for her sister's untimely demise," Detective Erikson told us.

"I can see why the police would think that..." I said under my breath. "Do you think that Oracle themselves is involved with this case in any way?"

"I doubt it. Oracle is a big spy and stuff. I don't know why they'd want to involve themselves in something like this. If their life is on the line and somebody has written a threat to them, they'll want to stay away. Oracle isn't stupid since they haven't been caught, so they'll avoid the prison for a while," Chrysalis told me. "Coming is like asking for trouble."

"I agree that it would be a bad idea," I nodded. "Let's go on and look at the body. There doesn't seem to be much of anything left to note here. We should keep this note in mind. It might prove to be important later on."

We approached the body next. The victim had dark hair over his closed eyes. He looked to be in pain. I noticed that there was a large wound on his chest. Well, it was a small wound, but there was a lot of blood. This was likely where the bullet had entered his body as was mentioned in the autopsy report. There was a similar wound on his upper leg, but it was much smaller and there was less blood. This wound had the bullet still inside. The wound on his chest was lacking in bullets, so I assumed that it had been taken by the police.

"The bullet was taken by the police, yes?" Chrysalis asked.

"Yeah. We've been unable to figure out where the bullet came from though. There are no guns around here that match the bullets that we're shot. The ballistic markings don't match anything, so we are unable to discern what the weapon is. The killer either hid it or took it with them," Detective Erikson explained. "It'll be hard to figure out which one of those it is until we actually find the gun though."

Chrysalis crouched down next to the body and looked at the body with a frown. "There are a lot of tears in his clothing. Did something happen to rip him up like this?" she questioned.

"A window was broken the time of the crime. The width of the cuts is roughly the same as the thickness of the glass that made up the window," Detective Erikson told her. We don't know what broke the glass, but it was something that happened the time of the crime since the witness mentioned hearing the sound of glass breaking."

"I'm betting that this has some sort of relevance on the crime. We should keep it in mind," I said. Chrysalis responded with a simple nod.

"His hand is clasped into a fist," I commented. I crouched down next to Chrysalis to get a closer look. "Would we be able to see if he's holding something, Detective Erikson?"

"I don't see why not. We've already gotten photos of the body and such, so unfolding his hand shouldn't hurt," he responded.

I gently uncurled the victim's fingers. The first thing I saw was blood. There was a shard of glass in the victim's hand that had cut his hand open. The cut was still open likely since he had died before his body could heal it.

"I bet this came from the window that was broken," Chrysalis said as I rotated the glass shard around. It was covered in dried blood, probably from the victim's hand wound.

"I bet you're right," I agreed. "I just don't see why he'd be holding this. It's a bit odd for someone to want to hold onto a sharp piece of glass when they could so easily be cut. The victim was cut all over his body, so it makes even less sense that he'd want to hold onto this."

"Odd as it may be, we need to remember it. I'm positive that it will be important during the trial tomorrow. No criminal is perfect, so their crimes aren't either. Everything is important in some way. We just need to see how all the puzzle pieces fit together," Chrysalis told me.

"I wonder what sort of relevance it has. It has to mean something. It wouldn't be here if it didn't," I agreed.

"It looks like there's something in his pocket," Chrysalis observed. She pointed to the one and only pocket on the front of the victim's shirt. There did appear to be something of a bulge inside the pocket.

Detective Erikson pulled whatever was inside of his pocket out. "I don't know what this is for, but it's a key," he said, holding it up. "It's rather small, so we must have missed it in our first investigation of the area. I'll have to get it tested for prints to see who's been holding it recently."

"Why did the victim have it? He's a convicted murderer. I don't see how anybody like that would be allowed to have anything with a key. The state just wouldn't trust them enough to have anything that might be dangerous, and that definitely includes secrets," Chrysalis frowned. "It doesn't make much sense, but it has to mean something."

"It's not just the one key in there, it looks like," I commented. I reached into the pocket and pulled out a key ring with a few other keys on it. It had been on the opposite side of the pocket from where Detective Erikson had retrieved his key, so he had missed it.

"That looks like the key ring they keep prisoner cell keys on," Detective Erikson remarked. "I've seen them a few times when taking people in and out of questioning. However, if this really is a key ring for a cell block here in the prison, what was it doing in the hands of the victim? The guards are strictly forbidden from allowing anyone who is convicted of a crime access to these keys. People would be escaping if they got their mitts on these and had the opportunity."

Chrysalis let out a small gasp. "Hey... I have a quick question, if you don't mind my asking. I think it might have to do with the case," she said to the detective.

"Fire away," Detective Erikson said. He handed off the keys that we had found to a police officer that had approached. "Give these to the forensics team. They'll be able to hear if there are any prints on these." The officer saluted before dashing away.

"There wouldn't happen to have been any prison breakouts last night, would there?" Chrysalis questioned. "I mean, if it was really so early in the morning when the victim was killed, I doubt that he was supposed to be out of his cell..."

"Believe it or not, no," Detective Erikson responded. "We checked this morning during our initial investigation if there were any reports of breakouts. Surprisingly, there wasn't a single breakout reported at all last night. Plus, the warden's assistant said that she didn't see any signs of misbehavior at all. Well, aside from the power outage."

"Power outage?" I echoed. "There was a power outage in the prison last night?"

"Yeah. Somebody got to the main breaker out here in the courtyard and turned it off. A set of prints was lifted from it, but we don't know who they belong to yet. It isn't the defendant, victim, or witness at the very least. There's not much else we can say aside from that," Detective Erikson explained. "The power outage lasted roughly fifteen minutes at around 5:00 in the morning. Once the power was back, the witness checked all the cameras to make sure that nobody had escaped. She said that there was every cell door was shut, so we have no idea what in the world happened last night."

"It sounds like this is going to be a tough case to crack," I frowned.

"To make things even more peculiar, the witness was watching the cameras after the blackout to make sure everything was okay. That was when she heard two gunshots, likely the two that rang out when the victim was killed," Detective Erikson continued. "The witness stayed in her office for a little while longer, checking the cameras to see where the gunshots had come from, before figuring out that they had come from the hall near the courtyard where there were no guards at night due to the vacancy of the courtyard. She ran to the source of the sound and saw the body in the courtyard with the suspect standing just in front of it."

"This is all rather incriminating... It's going to be hard to prove that our client didn't do this," I told Chrysalis.

She shook her head. "Well, there is one thing that we have on our side. Yuri is small and scrawny compared to the victim. He looks like he was around five feet and eight inches tall. Yuri isn't even five feet tall. Do we really think that she could have killed somebody that large and dragged the body up to the watchtower? She's tiny compared to him," Chrysalis said.

"Sounds like that will be our first piece of evidence to use in the trial," I nodded in response.

"I probably should head off to other areas of the prison to question any other potential witnesses," Detective Erikson told us. "But before I go, perhaps I should tell you the last little bit of information you two will probably need to conduct your investigation."

"What is it?" Chrysalis questioned.

"We had one of the guards who works here in the prison do a metal detection sweep of the courtyard. We didn't find any traces of a gun or anything metallic in his search, so you don't need to try and look around in hopes that you'll find the murder weapon," Detective Erikson explained. "The only metal was found inside of the metal bars that make up the gate of the courtyard. The bullets set off the detector as well. Aside from that, I'm afraid that we came up short in the metal department. Everything metallic that was found was supposed to be here, which means that the gun likely isn't here in the courtyard."

"Alright. Thank you for all the information you've given us, Detective Erikson," I said, bowing my head slightly.

"It was my pleasure," Detective Erikson responded, a small smile on his face.

"Would you please give Mukuro my greetings?" Chrysalis questioned.

Detective Erikson nodded as he walked away. "I will. I'll see you two around."

Once Detective Erikson had disappeared from view, I turned to Chrysalis, tilting my head in curiosity. "Who's Mukuro?" I couldn't help but ask.

"That's Detective Erikson's daughter. She's in my grade at school. We have a few classes together. I suppose that you might be able to call us friends," Chrysalis replied. "She's a sweet girl, but she hasn't been investigating as many cases lately. I'm not entirely sure why, but if she wants to take a break, that's up to her."

"I see..." I murmured with a nod.

"Let's get started with our investigation into the crime scene. There has to be something important around here somewhere," Chrysalis said. "Just look around for anything suspicious."

I nodded and turned around. We both scoured half of the courtyard to get things over with faster. Once Chrysalis was done, she let out a sigh. "I haven't found anything. I guess that there really isn't anything of note left in the courtyard."

I shook my head as I crouched down to the grass. There was something black sitting on top of the lawn, but I wasn't sure what it was. I picked it up and held it to the sun to get a better look.

"It's a patch of fabric," I murmured. "Look at this. It's a little piece of fabric. I'm not entirely sure what it goes to, but it doesn't look like it matches what the victim was wearing."

"Let's see if Yuri's clothes are at all torn when we see her. She normally wears a dark jacket of a similar fabric, so if that's not torn at all, we'll have another piece of ammunition to use against the prosecution tomorrow," Chrysalis said. "Maybe we can ask the witness if it's at all familiar to her. Somebody around here has to recognize it."

I sniffed the fabric upon realizing that something about it had a distinct smell. "It smells like blood... This definitely has something to do with the case. I can't say whose blood it is, but I'm willing to bet that it's the victim's blood," I told her.

Chrysalis pulled off her backpack before reaching in and pulling out a plastic bag. "Put it in here. We can keep it from being at all damaged this way," she instructed.

I accepted the plastic bag from her and unzipped it. "Thanks." I dropped the square of fabric into the bag before returning it to her. She put it into her bag before swinging the backpack into its proper position. There were seams around the edges of the fabric, but it wasn't anything too major. It looked like the sort of patch you'd be able to buy at a craft store that you'd use to cover up a hole in a garment of clothing. I wasn't entirely sure of that, but it was most certainly something to keep in mind.

"Ch-Chrysalis!"

Upon hearing the voice, Chrysalis and I both turned to see two people walking towards us. One of them was a blonde boy with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, said blanket being red with yellow spots here and there. The other person was a woman who looked to be about my age with dark hair and a serious expression.

"Anton!" Chrysalis gasped. She dashed over to the boy and pulled him into a hug, which he returned. "There you are! I was looking for you earlier!"

"S-Sorry... I-I wasn't sure if you'd b-be coming..." the boy, whose name seemed to be Anton, stuttered.

"I texted her and said that we should meet up," the woman told him. "Of course, I was hoping that she'd bring her brother along with her... Who would this be?"

"This is Deirdre Brigit," Chrysalis explained. She seemed to be a lot more bright and cheerful now that Anton and this new woman were here. "She's the other new lawyer Cotoli hired recently. When we heard about the case, he sent her in to defend Yuri. I'm going to be helping her out in court."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss...?" I began to say, my voice trailing off when I realized that I didn't know the newcomer's name.

"Polly Burke," the woman replied. "Prosecutor Polly Burke. This is Anton Burke, my son. We're going to be on the prosecution tomorrow."

"Y-You won't get a-all scary and g-glare at me, right...?" Anton asked softly.

"I promise I won't let her. You're as sweet as can be, so we can't really get mad at you," Chrysalis smiled. She tapped him on the nose with one finger, making the boy giggle happily. He clapped his hands, though he was still grasping the blanket, which resulted in the sound coming out rather muffled.

"You had better not upset your boss with this case," Prosecutor Burke told me. Her gaze was harsh as she met my eyes. I would be lying if I said I wasn't at least a bit startled by her intensity. "You really don't want to see him upset."

"N-Not that he'll get mad or anything when he's upset... He's mostly relaxed, so you don't need to worry. Besides, we won't be upsetting Cotoli one bit. We're going to win this case and prove that Yuri didn't commit this crime. We all know that she wouldn't even have the muscles to hurt a fly, much less pull the trigger on a gun twice to kill a man," Chrysalis said. "We're going to make sure that she gets off the hook for this, isn't that right, Deirdre?"

I nodded. "Of course. Our client will be back home and back to her regular life in no time," I told Prosecutor Burke.

"Have you even stopped by to see her? She didn't know that she had a lawyer last I checked. It wasn't until I mentioned it to her that she heard that you were going to be defending her," Prosecutor Burke said.

"We weren't sure when her questioning would be done. We're going to wrap up our investigation and then go check on her. I hope she's happy to see us... Anyways, we're going to be winning this case, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Chrysalis chirped.

Prosecutor Burke rolled her eyes. "If you say so... This case is a lot more complicated than most other murders. It'll be hard if you want to figure out how the murder was committed. Are you sure you'll be up for the challenge, Ms. Brigit?" she asked, addressing me once again.

"I'll get to the bottom of what happened the night of the crime. That much I can promise you," I assured her with a confident nod. At the very least, I was hoping it came off as confident. In truth, I was quietly scared out of my mind that Prosecutor Burke was able to tell how nervous I was. She seemed rather intense and focused on her work, which could easily spell trouble for me in the courtroom tomorrow. I was praying that I'd be able to avoid getting on her bad side, as she came off as the type that would get somewhat scary when angered.

"I'll be looking forward to it," Prosecutor Burke said. "Now, if you don't mind, we're going to be starting our investigation. You got peace to look around here, so now we expect the same. Go on. Scat."

"Alright, we'll get out of your hair. You don't need to get all angry with us," Chrysalis told her. She gave Anton one last hug and smile. "Bye, Anton. I'll see you later on. You stay out of trouble until then, okay?"

"Okay!" Anton exclaimed happily. "Bye!" He waved to us as Chrysalis gestured to the door back into the main building, as if to escort me away from the prosecution's investigation.

"What should we do next?" I asked Chrysalis once we were out of earshot and vision of the prosecution.

"I think that we should go on and talk to the witness. We should see Yuri last since she'll want a complete explanation of what we found in our investigation, so we might as well spare ourselves the extra trip back there and go see the witness now," Chrysalis responded. "I bet that she'll be in her office. I've been to the prison a few times before now on business, so I can lead you there. The warden is out of town from what I heard before meeting up with you. That's why only his assistant is in the office as of now."

"I see... We might as well talk to her and get as much information as we can out of her before we go and see our client," I agreed. "Go on and lead the way."

Chrysalis nodded and began leading me to the office where the warden and his assistant worked. I have to admit that I spaced out while we were on our way. I wasn't entirely sure how this case was going to turn out at that moment. I hadn't even met the suspect yet, which was a roadblock in and of itself. On top of that, this case wasn't your orthodox murder. Even Prosecutor Burke had admitted it to me when we were speaking before. This was going to be a difficult murder to unwind. Proving our client innocent on top of figuring out all that happened this morning was going to be quite the ordeal, but I was hoping that we'd be able to pull it off. On top of that, I was practically ready to make a deal with whatever higher beings were out there that the witness would be able to give us some sort of useful information. From what Detective Erikson had told us, that seemed to be the case, but I was still a bit concerned.

Well, there was nothing I could do about it then. I just had to talk to the witness and see how everything went down with her before starting to make my theories on how the crime was committed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot has happened recently, so I'm afraid it's been hard to update this story. I'm working on it. Sorry about the long break. I have pretty 43 chapters out of 61 finished already, so it's just a matter of posting them over here. I'm going to get on it when my winter break starts in a few days. Hopefully, things will be much better after that.   
> I don't have much else to say here, so I hope you all enjoyed!


	8. Turnabout Breakdown, Part 3

**March 13**

**Warden's Office**

**11:15 AM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

When we arrived at the warden's office, I didn't see much of anything impressive in it. There was a distinct wild west theme to it, but not much else. There was a grand desk perched just beneath a window with a chair behind it. There was also a large computer screen there along with a few large stacks of papers. A few frames hung from the wall, each one holding a painting that depicted a few cowboys riding atop horses. A brown cowboy hat was also hanging from a pin on the wall alongside a rope that was likely intended to imitate a lasso.

There was one corner of the room that broke this theme. Another desk, this one smaller, was sitting in said corner. It had a smaller computer and papers as well. A poster from a popular TV show, the Metal Mercenary, hung on the wall above the chair. There was a couch nearby for relaxing. It was a faded light blue and definitely seemed that it had seen better days.

"There's no one in here," Deirdre noted from my side. She was right. For supposedly containing the warden's assistant, it was rather empty. It was just Deirdre and me, staring at the weird decor that covered the walls.

"Huh? Who are you?"

We turned upon hearing the new voice. A young woman was standing there. She had bright red hair and blue eyes that looked to be equally as bright. She had a yellow cropped tank top on, the bottom of which ended at her waist. She had a skirt with a rainbow of colors fanning out around her above a black base layer. She had knee-high black socks with white shoes. I also noticed white fingerless gloves on her wrists.

"We're the defense team on this case. I'm Deirdre Brigit, attorney at law. This is Chrysalis Starr, my assistant on this case," Deirdre explained. "Would you happen to be the warden's assistant in this prison?"

The young woman nodded. "Yep! My name is Pandora Rell!" she exclaimed. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Would you be able to tell us about what you saw the morning of the crime? We heard that you were a witness to the tragedy that took place earlier today," I said.

"Yeah, I was..." Pandora affirmed before letting her words die away. "Any details you want to know in particular?"

"Not really. Just tell us your story of what happened this morning. We can ask any further questions from there," I told her.

"I was working the night shift in the prison this morning. We've had a lot more criminals come in recently, so they wanted me here to help keep watch since I have access to the camera room," Pandora began. "Warden West is out of town right now, so I was the only one available to do any extra watching the guards requested. I never really like working the night shift, but at least I get paid a bit more for staying up all night making sure there are no escapes."

"You must have been pretty tired by the time that this morning rolled around," Deirdre remarked.

"I was. I was ready to go back home when seven came around to sleep. That's when the night shift ends and the morning one begins. In the end, that never happened, though... There was a power outage to liven things up, though. I guess that was a bit of a distraction, but it was just annoying at the end of the day," Pandora continued.

"We heard from Detective Erikson that the power outage was at five or so in the morning," Deirdre said. "Would that be accurate?"

"Yeah. I checked my phone when the power went out. It was 5:04. I ran out to the courtyard to check the power box. That's where the main power is located. I knew somebody must have messed around with the power box. It's unusual for us to have power outages here since we put all our power into the power box so that any blackouts during storms don't cause gaps in security," Pandora explained.

"Who has access to the power box? It's out in the courtyard, which no prisoners are allowed in at night, so it must have been one of the guards, right?" I asked.

"Only the highest members of the guard have access to it. There are about ten of them that can mess around with the power box. Well, there's me and the warden too, but the warden is out and I have an alibi. The cameras caught me walking into the office but never saw me leave," Pandora told us.

"Tell us about what you did after the power outage," Deirdre instructed.

"I panicked and went out to the courtyard to see what had happened. The box's door was wide open. Somebody had put in the password to the box to open it before just pulling the switch to turn it off. I turned the power back on and locked the box before running back to my office. When I went to the courtyard, there was nobody there. Whoever messed with the power box was gone by that point," Pandora explained. "I'd say that it took me about ten minutes to get there. It's a long way to the courtyard from the office. I spent five minutes messing with the box before going back. I was back at 5:30."

"What next? What did you do after you got back to your office?" I questioned.

"I checked all the cameras in the cellblocks. I didn't want any prisoners to take advantage of the outage to escape. There were no open doors, so I assumed that everything was fine. I relaxed for a few minutes before a gunshot rang out. I checked the cameras to figure out where it had come from. I couldn't see anything, so I knew that it was from the hallway that leads out to the courtyard. To conserve power, those cameras go off at night since there are no guards stationed there. All the prisoners are in their cells, so there isn't any point in leaving the cameras on or putting guards there at night," Pandora went on.

"I bet that the first gunshot broke the window near the courtyard before hitting the victim in the leg. There were only two gunshots heard, so I bet the first bullet did both of those. It wouldn't make sense if the first bullet had hit the victim in the chest, as that would make firing the second bullet pointless," Deirdre murmured. "What did you do then?"

"The second gunshot rang out about two minutes later. I ran out of the office and to the hallway, which again took about ten minutes. I gathered guards to help me out on the way. When I arrived, I heard a scream and saw the defendant standing in front of the dead body, which was hanging lifeless from the watchtower... I didn't know how it had gotten there, as the courtyard is normally locked unless you have a key. Only a few guards have a key, the same ones that can access the power box like I mentioned earlier. On top of that, the victim was supposed to be in his cell... He was a convicted murderer, you know. He killed a teenaged girl last month," Pandora went on.

"Yeah... He did," I said, my shoulders going tense.

"I called the police. They arrived not long after. They arrested that Yuri girl since she was found with the body," Pandora finished. "That's pretty much it."

"Why did they arrest Yuri if you need a key to get in?" Deirdre asked.

"One of the keys went missing yesterday. The defendant was here yesterday too, since she wanted to see that Buff Guiy man, but visiting hours ended by the time she arrived. The police think that she stole the key to use it to enter the courtyard and start all this confusion," Pandora told us.

"Has the key been found?" I questioned.

Pandora shook her head. "No. Not yet. We don't know where it is. All sorts of important metal objects have gone missing. The key, the murder weapon... Man, this case is going to be a mess. It's a shame the trial for it is tomorrow. I know it'll run long. I just need some sleep after all this..." Pandora muttered, a frown on her face.

"We can get out of your hair soon. We have only a few more questions for you," Deirdre said.

"For one, we found a patch of fabric at the scene of the crime," I started. "We were wondering if maybe you would know what it was about. It looked like the sort of thing you'd put over a hole in a pair of jeans, for example." I fished the fabric patch out of my bag before handing it to Pandora. "Do you think you know where this might have come from?"

"This is the patch we give to guards when their uniforms tear," Pandora answered. "Sometimes accidents happen on the job. If a uniform is used too long, it can get a tear or a piece might come off. If the damage is minor, we give the guards this patch to sew over the tear or hole so that the uniform can be salvaged. The material is a bit different from the regular uniform. You don't see it very often. It's expensive, but it's very durable to prevent any further rips or tears."

"There's a lot of evidence that points to a guard committing the crime at this point... I bet that Yuri was arrested because she was the only one to have a strong motive. Most prison guards wouldn't go this far with a prisoner, even if they escaped. They'd likely just say that it was in the line of duty. No, this murder was committed by a guard, but one that wanted to frame it on an innocent person," I deduced.

"There's too much evidence indicating that a guard killed the victim. I agree that it must have been somebody working here who did this. However, my question is why anyone would want to frame our client... One thing that we'll have to look for in court tomorrow is the evidence that the prosecution has. There's evidence that points to a guard doing it, but the prosecution also has a motive among other reasons to suspect the defendant. We'll need to be cautious," Deirdre said with a frown.

"We need to wait for the police to track down the murder weapon. I get the feeling that the gun that was used to kill the victim will be able to help us out somehow," I murmured. "The murder weapon is a key part of any murder investigation. Without it, we're going to need quite a bit of luck in order to win this trial... However, they can't really close the case without conclusive evidence regarding the murder weapon. That gun is going to be found before a verdict is handed down."

"Do you think that we'll need to search for the gun within the prison?" Deirdre asked.

"I doubt it. The police are searching this place restlessly trying to find that gun. They think it will 'prove the guilt of the accused' or something like that. I just want them to find the gun so they can catch whoever did this. If it was one of the guards, the warden is going to get mad if they go free after this. He's a bit strange, but he doesn't like criminals working with him. He finds murderers and the like to be the scum of the universe, regardless of if it was in self-defense or not," Pandora cut in. "Granted, I doubt this case is self-defense because of the way the body was set up, but..."

"We need to figure out who the killer is if we want Yuri to be let go. She can be quirky and unique, but she wouldn't ever think of killing someone. Even if the victim did kill her sister, Yuri still wouldn't go that far. She knows that the best punishment for people like that is life in prison where they'll be miserable for taking another life," I said, my expression solemn. "I've known Yuri for two years now. She's not a murderer."

"We should probably do a recap of our investigation a bit later on. We need to keep all the details straight if we want even a chance of surviving in court tomorrow," Deirdre suggested. "We haven't gone to see her yet, so perhaps we can look back on things when we talk to her about the things that we've gathered."

"That sounds good to me. She'll want to hear all about it. She's been investigating cases with me and my brother for a few years now. She's gotten pretty good at it, so she'll want the details. Well, because of that and because she's going to be on trial. The more information you can get, the better it makes you feel about the whole ordeal," I responded.

"I think that we've just about finished our investigation for the time being. Perhaps we should go on and see her now. I don't think that there's anything for us to check out before the trial tomorrow," Deirdre said.

I nodded my agreement. "Yeah. I don't think we have any reason to visit the victim's cell for now, so we can probably call it good," I affirmed. "We should go and see Yuri now."

"Thank you for talking to us about what you saw this morning, Ms. Rell," Deirdre told Pandora, turning to face her. The former bowed her head ever so slightly.

"It was my pleasure. I'll be seeing you in court tomorrow, so I guess we won't be apart for very long," Pandora said next.

"I figured you'd be testifying," I muttered. "Well, until then, I suppose that we'll see you later."

"Bye!" Pandora chirped, waving to us as we walked from the room.

"You'll have to lead me to the detention center section of the prison. I've never been here before, so you know the layout much better than I do," Deirdre told me as she shut the door to the warden's office.

"Alright. Just follow me. We'll be there in no time." I gestured for Deirdre to follow me before walking for the detention center.

**March 13**

**Detention Center**

**12:00 PM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

When Deirdre and I arrived at the detention center, we didn't see anybody on the other side of the glass. The guard on duty raised an eyebrow at our presence. "We're here for Yuri Rinko," I told him. The guard responded with a nod before dashing off to find Yuri. I was hoping that we wouldn't need to wait for very long. By now, Yuri's questioning had to be over, which meant that she'd be out any second now.

Sure enough, she appeared on the other side of the glass when the guard returned. Her deep blue eyes were somewhat dull and tired. Quite honestly, I couldn't blame her for being exhausted. The detention center wasn't the best of places. I hadn't ever been a suspect before myself, but I could easily tell that it went fun being there.

Yuri's black hair fell down her back to about her hips. The edges were tipped with white. She had a black jacket on with matching leggings. She had black and white tennis shoes on, though they couldn't be seen when she was sitting down. Her shirt, which was hiding beneath her jacket, was a light turquoise color. Atop Yuri's head was a large bow that was the same light turquoise as her shirt. It was normally bouncy, but now, it drooped like a plant that had been without water for weeks. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. She hadn't yet been at the detention center overnight, but I still could easily comprehend her exhaustion.

"You must be Yuri Rinko," Deirdre said upon seeing Yuri sit down.

"Yeah. Who are you?" Yuri asked, tilting her head slightly.

"This is Deirdre Brigit. She's one of the new recruits down at the agency. Cotoli had everyone over today to introduce themselves, but in the end, we didn't get very far into our introduction day since we heard about the murder," I explained. "How are you feeling?"

"No lawyer yet. The police were going to get me one if I couldn't make up my mind soon enough. Is that what you're here for?" Yuri questioned.

I nodded. "Yep. Deirdre is planning on defending you, if you'll take her. We've done all our investigating, so it's a bit too late to turn back now," I told her. "I hope that's okay..."

"That sounds good to me! Nobody else has come by, so it might as well be somebody Mr. Morix trusts enough to work with him," Yuri said.

"In that case, perhaps we should explain the results of the investigation to her," Deirdre suggested.

"Please do! There's nothing for me to do when I'm in here! I might not even have to worry about getting the death sentence after a guilty verdict. I'll likely die of boredom before then," Yuri groaned. She rolled her eyes, but I could tell that she was just playing around. Acting silly was always her coping mechanism if things went wrong since she normally couldn't stand serious moments. Her regular personality was so upbeat and cheerful, so I always assumed she was trying to fool herself into thinking she was happy.

"So the crime took place this morning. There was a blackout not long before the murder occurred. The witness, one Pandora Rell, went to the courtyard where he body was found to check the power box that helped to distribute power throughout the prison," Deirdre began. "After turning the power back on, a few gunshots rang out. A window near the crime scene was broken. This is when the victim died."

"Yeah. That's the basic part, at the very least," I told Yuri. "The prosecution has a few things to hold over your head, those being your lack of an alibi and a motive. However, I'm sure that we'll be able to cover for those things as well as your being at the crime scene when the trial rolls around tomorrow morning."

"What about stuff that proves that I didn't do it? Do you have any of that?" Yuri asked eagerly. "Please say that there's something. Venus would probably be rolling over angrily in her grave if she knew I ended up in jail for something like this."

"To start with, we have evidence that seems to point to a prison guard committing the crime. First, the only way to get out to the courtyard is through the single door. There are only a few keys, all of which are owned by the prison guards," I began. "One of the keys is missing at the moment, which is too convenient to be true. I know that somebody out there, the real killer, is hiding it to make sure that we don't have any critical evidence to be used against them."

"The police believe that you stole the missing key, but I'm sure that once it is recovered, we'll be able to prove that you never had it with a quick fingerprint test," Deirdre went on. "Plus, even if you got out to the courtyard, you wouldn't have been able to cause the power outage. The power box is connected to a device with a password. It can't be opened without the code. How would you, a common girl who is still a minor, know that sort of combination? They may have the key, but they can't prove that you could have opened the electronic box used to cause the power outage."

"There's enough evidence against you doing this to end the trial immediately. When the trial drags on, we can go in on the offensive and nullify some of the prosecution's points. I doubt they'll put up as solid of an argument if we can get rid of the incriminating yet circumstantial pieces of evidence that point to you,"I told Yuri. "I promise you that everything will be perfectly fine. The trial won't end before you get a not guilty verdict. I swear it on my life."

"Thanks for defending me," Yuri smiled. Even if the grin on her face was wide, I could tell that she was mostly just putting on a brace face for our sake. "This means a lot to me. I don't want to end up in jail for a crime that I didn't even commit."

"There is a little bit more that we need to know when it comes to the crime, though," Deirdre said to Yuri, a small frown appearing on her lips.

"What is it?" Yuri asked.

"We want to know more about your presence here at the prison over these past few days. It was mentioned a few times by Detective Erikson as well as the witness, Ms. Rell," Deirdre told her. "Ms. Rell said that you were here yesterday to see the victim, but in the end, that didn't end up happening since visiting hours were over by the time that you had arrived."

Yuri nodded. "Yeah. I was here to ask him more about the murder from a month ago where my sister was killed... The motive was supposedly that he thought that she was the infamous Oracle of the Law because of an online forum, but I sort of doubt that. I feel like there's a little something more to it. Maybe he was just mentally disturbed. I mean, even if you suspected a teenager of being the Oracle of the Law, you wouldn't just kill them over it without any second though," Yuri began to explain.

"I overheard from one of the guards that the victim did have mental stability issues... It was before I met up with Deirdre, back when I was trying to look for Anton and Polly. I didn't think it would be useful information, but I guess that it did have some use if it helped you figure out the reasoning behind Venus' death," I said, looking down. Even if it had been a month since her untimely murder, I still missed Venus. I would have done anything if it meant that she could have been alive and by my side.

"Then there's my answer, I suppose. It's not like I'll be able to get anything further now. I can't just ask somebody to channel him. That's like a death sentence with how violent he is," Yuri sighed. "Anyways, I tried to see him so I could ask him about the murder with Venus. However, when I got here, visiting hours had just ended. I had been busy with homework up until that point, so I didn't get the chance to come any earlier."

"The police theorized that you used your failed attempt as an excuse to stick around at the prison to take the key from the guard missing his. You know, the key that leads out to the courtyard," I frowned. "Did you happen to run into anybody who looked important?"

"No. As soon as I heard that visiting hours were over, I walked to the bathroom before leaving. There was a guard with a hat over his head that was giving me weird looks when I left the building, one of the people guarding the door, I mean, but that was about it. I never even spoke to him. He just looked at me in this creepy way," Yuri went on.

"Don't all guards wear hats here?" Deirdre asked.

"Yeah, but this guy had a really big hat. It looked too large for him. It covered up all of his hair, and the brim was over one of his eyes, so I didn't manage to catch the color. I saw that his name tag read Kyllar, though," Yuri explained. "Do you think that he might have something to do with this case?"

"We should ask Ms. Rell the name of the guard whose key went missing after this conversation. We'll have to question them at some point or another. If it's this Kyllar man that was just mentioned by Yuri, there might be a connection," Deirdre suggested.

"I doubt we'll be able to stick around much longer. Polly can get kind of territorial when it comes to investigations. Her one exception is Cotoli. I doubt that she'll let you back on the scene to look at the body or question any witnesses. She's a bit stubborn that way," I told her. "It's unfortunate, but there isn't much that we can do about it. We can just ask Ms. Rell in court tomorrow. I doubt that this will be a single-session trial, so we'll hopefully be able to question them tomorrow if court is adjourned."

"That sounds like a good plan," Deirdre nodded. "Continue your story, Yuri."

"This morning, I wanted to get the jump on visiting hours before the meeting at the agency. They start at ten most days, but today was the exception. They extended the hours for some reason or another, likely to allow prisoners who rarely get visitors more time with company. I heard that the hours were starting at six, so I got there early. However, when I arrived, things went horribly wrong, as you can tell by the fact that I was taken away in handcuffs," Yuri continued.

"What happened? Was that when you heard gunshots?" I asked.

Yuri nodded. "Yeah. You guessed it. I heard two gunshots ring out, so I followed my ears to figure out where they had come from. I got lost a little bit along the way, but it was nothing I couldn't handle," she said. "That's when I found the body."

"Wait... If you got lost, that means that you were probably on camera. At night, every camera in the prison is on except for the ones in the courtyard and just outside said courtyard. If you were caught on camera, that could give you an alibi for the time of the crime, or at least the time when the body must have been moved into its suspended position," Deirdre muttered. "We can use that to our advantage in court tomorrow."

"Is there anything else you wanted to tell us about the time of the crime?" I asked. "Anything else important that you want us to know?"

"Not really... It sounds like you guys have this under control. Just like you and Mr. Morix did for my sisters, I know that you'll defend me and get me the not guilty," Yuri smiled.

"Speaking of sisters, has Cassidy been by?" I questioned.

"She was here earlier. My mom was with her. Cassidy brought along a friend with her. I don't know if you've heard of her. The girl's name is Neptune Mercure. She's about Venus' age, at least from what Cassidy has told me. Neptune seems nice enough. She seems to have a bit of trouble displaying her emotions for some reason or another, but I can tell that she has good intentions regardless of how it comes off," Yuri answered.

"You'll have to introduce me to your sister soon. Does she work with Mr. Morix as well?" Deirdre asked.

"No. She's been helping out Chief Prosecutor Bespoke for about two years now. He's pretty good to her. She's sweet enough to take defeat in court graciously if the truth is found," Yuri told her.

"Cassidy's great. I'm sure that you'll meet her one day," I said. "Well... We should probably get going. We need to figure out our strategy for the trial tomorrow."

"I'll see you then. Make sure that you don't die or get arrested for murder. Mr. Morix only hired two new lawyers, so we can't all end up behind bars with so few employees," Yuri joked with a wave. She smiled, though I could tell that she was still faking it in her exhaustion. "Bye."

As Yuri left, I couldn't help but let out a sigh. "I feel bad for her... Yuri's a sweet girl. She's been going through a lot though... Between being arrested and the murder of her sister last month, it's easy to see why she's so stressed. I just hope that we'll be able to free her soon so that she can emotionally recover from all this," I murmured.

"You know her well," Deirdre remarked.

"You could say that. I was close friends with her oldest sister, Venus, before she was stabbed to death last month. Yuri loved hanging around with us when she could," I said, smiling at the memory before snapping back to reality when I recalled the cold truth that Venus was gone. "Well, regardless, let's get going. We have a lot of preparation to do before the trial tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to get a bit more regular with these. Hallelujah.   
> I'm on winter break at the moment, so updates are hopefully going to become more frequent. After I get a bit further along with this story, I'll start posting my other stories on here as well. I might do that after this case finishes up.   
> Anyways, that's about it from me. I'll be on my way. I hope you enjoyed!  
> -Digital


	9. Turnabout Breakdown, Part 4

**March 14**

**Defendant Lobby No. 2**

**9:40 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

The next morning, I did my best to arrive as early as I could to the courthouse, though in the end, I was a bit later than I would have wanted, arriving only twenty minutes before the trial. Chrysalis ended up beating me there easily. I found her sitting on the couch, flipping through papers with details pertaining to the murder, when I got there. I decided to go on and approach her since I didn't see Yuri anywhere around. "So... How do you think this is going to go?" I asked, unsure of how else I was supposed to start up a conversation with her.

"I think it'll be fine," Chrysalis responded. She finished reading the final page of her notes and set the stack down on the couch beside her. "We're going to do our best to solve the case today, but I doubt the verdict will be handed down without crucial pieces of evidence such as the murder weapon and missing key. Those two objects could easily put Yuri in her coffin or turn everything around in our favor. We'll need to see if the police have found anything after the trial ends."

"I agree," I nodded. "Let's do our best in there." I paused for a moment before a question came to mind. Since I didn't know how a trial would work, I figured it would be best to go on and ask. "How will it start?"

"First up is the opening statement from the prosecution explaining the basic outline of the case and why they believe the defendant to be the killer of the victim. Detective Erikson will tell us about the details of the case. After that, I bet Pandora will tell us about what she saw. We'll need to cross-examine her testimony to find any inconsistencies with what she tells us and the evidence... That's the hardest part. However, adjourning court for a second day shouldn't be too hard if we bring up that we need to find the murder weapon and the missing key that the guard had," Chrysalis explained. "Is that enough of an explanation for you?"

"That gives me a general idea," I said with a small nod. "Yuri should be here soon, should she not?"

"What about me? I'm right here."

We turned upon hearing Yuri's voice to see her standing there. She was being stared at by a detective with brown hair, who was lightly holding her arm. "Here you are, love," the woman said to Yuri. She turned away and left the room not long after when she noticed Yuri was being watched by the pair of men guarding the entrance to the courtroom.

"Thanks, Detective Wattson," Yuri murmured before looking up at us with her tired eyes. "So... The trial's going to start soon. At this point, it can't really be stopped. Then again, it wasn't going to be stopped to begin with..."

"Yeah. Luckily, we have a lot of evidence at our disposal, so nobody is going to be going to jail today. I promise it," Chrysalis assured her, a determined gleam in her eyes shining. "There's no way thta you can get convicted when there's so much evidence that screams that you weren't the one who committed the crime."

"I hope you're right. Venus will come back from the dead just to kill me if I let that happen," Yuri joked. She and Chrysalis laughed, but it was obvious they were forcing it.

"I heard that they're having a new judge on this case," Chrysalis said once the false laughter had died down. "His twin sister, Eriko, has been on a lot of cases before this point, but it's one of his first. His name is Ervan Frost. Hopefully, he won't be too biased towards the prosecution. If he's got an open mind, we can use that to our advantage. It means the trial won't end right off the bat if he's a bit more open. However, if he ends up favoring the other side..."

"Don't think like that. We'll take care of this case and have Yuri home in no time," I cut in. I looked down at Yuri. She still looked as tired as she had yesterday. When she spoke, I could hear the overwhelming pain behind her voice. Having hearing that was better than most often meant that you could tell these things right off the bat. I felt bad for her, I have to admit.

"We'll have to go into the courtroom soon... I wonder if KJ is working today," Yuri said. She began to glance around the room, searching wildly for someone.

"KJ?" I echoed in curiosity. "Who's KJ?"

"KJ Jett is a bailiff-to-be here. He was Venus' boyfriend back when she was still alive. He's in college right now to be a bailiff, but for work experience, he helps out here when he gets the time to," Yuri explained. "He's got purple hair, so he sticks out like a sore thumb even if he's a bit on the short side."

"I don't think that you can really call him short, Yuri," Chrysalis smirked, rubbing Yuri's hair with one gloved hand. "You're not very vertically gifted."

"Says you! You're only three inches taller than I am, Chrysalis!" Yuri cried out. She crossed her arms in a huff after smacking Chrysalis' hand away. Chrysalis responded with a light giggle as she did her best to restore Yuri's tresses to their former glory.

"Yuri!"

When we turned around, we were met with a boy with purple hair standing behind us. His eyes were a bright blue. His purple hair flopped over his right eye (though it was on my left side). He had a black bailiff uniform on with a golden pin on his collar and bright blue tie that faded out to gray and then white. He had a navy blue hat with black accents on that looked like the sort of hat a police officer would wear.

"I'm glad to see that you're okay... The trial is about to start. You stay safe in there, okay?" the boy asked. I assumed that this was the KJ Jett figure that Yuri had mentioned earlier.

"Thanks, KJ. Stay out of trouble," Yuri smiled. KJ responded with a wink and a wave as he walked into the courtroom.

"That's our cue," I said. "Let's get on in there."

"We'll win this case for sure," Chrysalis nodded. "And Yuri will be home in no time flat."

"I know," Yuri replied, a hint of a smile still on her face. She seemed to be in a better mood now than she had been in when she arrived. "I know."

**March 14**

**Courtroom No. 2**

**10:00 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

I could feel my stomach doing flips as I walked into the courtroom. Up until this point, I had been doing well to keep my composure, but now that I was inside of the courtroom, I was more nervous than I ever had been. Knots formed in my core. This sure was stressful.

I decided to focus on the other things in the courtroom to alleviate my nervousness. I looked to Prosecutor Burke and Anton standing on the other side of the courtroom. Prosecutor Burke was smirking with one hand on her hip. Anton was looking down, holding a blanket around his shoulders as he stared at the desk like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Chrysalis was shifting through the stack of paper that she had before her. Each sheet had notes and details of a different part of the case. She sure did take some serious notes when it came to court cases...

I looked to the judge next. He had piercing turquoise eyes and pale purple hair. It could have been mistaken for white depending on the lighting. He had the traditional gray robes that were worn by most judges. He had a turquoise tie on the front of his robe. A snowflake pin was beside his tie on one side. I wasn't entirely sure what was under the robe, but I figured that it didn't matter unless I saw him outside of the courtroom.

"You ready for this?" Chrysalis asked from my side, snapping me out of my daze.

"Y-Yeah," I said, nodding as if I knew what I was doing. I had been thinking before this that I'd be okay, that nothing would be able to shake me, but now that I was here, that all those eyes were on me...

"Court is now in session for the trial of Yuri Rinko," declared the judge. I squinted at his podium and saw a nameplate. It said 'JUDGE ERVAN FROST' on it in bold letters. That must have been his name like Chrysalis mentioned before. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"

"The prosecution is ready," Prosecutor Burke nodded, one hand sitting on the bench before her. She seemed to be challenging me with her gaze. I wasn't going to let her psyche me out, so I would just have to seem like I knew what I was doing.

"And the defense?" the judge questioned, turning to me.

"The defense is also ready," I announced. I didn't end up stuttering or anything like that, so nobody was able to tell that I was nervous as far as I could see.

"Good," Judge Frost said with a small nod. Chrysalis had said that he was a newer judge, but he already had me fooled. He seemed experienced in what he was doing, which meant that he was doing better with his poker face than I was. "Prosecutor Burke, your opening statement?"

Prosecutor Burke nodded and pulled up a paper from the desk in front of her. "The crime took place at the prison yesterday morning at around 6:00 AM. The victim, Buff Guiy, was shot twice, once in the leg and once in the heart, and was found suspended from the prison watchtower shortly after. The defendant, Yuri Rinko, found the body and was then found with the body by a witness to the crime. A key required to get out into the courtyard went missing while the defendant was at the prison, which makes her already suspect for the crime. On top of that, she has a motive and lacks an alibi. For these reasons, we believe that Yuri Rinko is the one who committed this foul crime," she declared.

"What motive is it that you speak of?" Judge Frost asked.

"Last month, a crime was committed in the parking lot of Morix Law Offices. A teenaged girl by the name of Venus Rinko was stabbed to death. Venus was the older sister to the defendant before she died. The one who killed her was none other than the victim in this case. The prosecution believes that the defendant killed our current victim as an act of revenge since he killed her older sister a month ago," Prosecutor Burke explained.

"That is a solid motive... How does the defense respond?" Judge Frost questioned.

"The defense maintains its position that the defendant is innocent of this crime. The killer is a third party besides our client and the victim," I declared.

"I see... In that case, bring in the lead detective on this case so that we can hear his description of the crime," Judge Frost declared.

"Detective Erikson!" Prosecutor Burke exclaimed. "It's your turn!"

Detective Erikson approached the witness stand not long after. He had his hands in his pockets as he looked around the courtroom.

"Please state your name and occupation," Judge Frost requested.

"The name is Toby Erikson. I work as a detective at the local precinct," Detective Erikson declared. "I'm also the leading detective on this case."

"Please testify about the details of the murder," Prosecutor Burke demanded.

"I'm right on it," nodded Detective Erikson.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Crime's Basic Details ~**

_\- "The crime was yesterday morning like the prosecution said."_

_\- "The victim was killed by a gun, but we don't know where the gun is right now, so we can't test ballistic markings."_

_\- "When the victim died, a power outage was taking place at the prison."_

_\- "The power box in the courtyard, which is responsible for the prison's electricity, was found open."_

_\- "The only way to get out to the courtyard is with a key."_

_\- "One of the few keys went missing while the defendant was here yesterday, so we need to suspect her."_

"This case clearly seems to be much more complicated than it first appeared..." Judge Frost murmured. "What was the situation with the power outage?"

"The power box in the prison courtyard controls the electricity of the prison. It was turned off near the time of the murder. There's no other way to turn off the power since the prison doesn't run on regular electricity. The only way to get out to the courtyard in the first place is with a key, but there aren't very many of them. One of the keys went missing yesterday, so we believe the defendant took it when she encountered the guard who claims his is gone. The power was turned back on after the witness arrived on the scene," Detective Erikson explained. "If there are any other questions you have, I'm sure that they'll be resolved as this goes on. It's rather complicated, I'm afraid."

"I see... That's enough information for now. For the time being, go on and begin your cross-examination, defense," Judge Frost told me.

I nodded. "I'll get right on that, Your Honor," I said. I already thought I knew what I was supposed to do with this. There was a glaring issue with the testimony, and once I pointed it out, the suspicion on Yuri would surely lessen.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Crime's Basic Details ~**

_\- "The crime was yesterday morning like the prosecution said."_

_\- "The victim was killed by a gun, but we don't know where the gun is right now, so we can't test ballistic markings."_

_\- "When the victim died, a power outage was taking place at the prison."_

_\- "The power box in the courtyard, which is responsible for the prison's electricity, was found open."_

_\- "The only way to get out to the courtyard is with a key."_

_\- "One of the few keys went missing while the defendant was here yesterday, so we need to suspect her."_

"Objection!"

"I'm afraid that you can't suspect my client based solely on the key," I smirked to myself.

"What makes you say that?" Detective Erikson asked.

"In order to get into the power box, one other thing is required," I told him. "According to the witness to this crime, a young woman who works at the prison, you can only get into the power box if you have the password to open it. How would my client, a young girl who was just visiting the prison, know of this password to be able to cause the power outage? Since no prisoner escape reports were sent out while the power was on, the victim must have gotten out while the power was off. She couldn't have let her victim out of his cell without knowing the password, which she surely didn't have any knowledge of due to being a common citizen!"

The people in the gallery above began to chatter. I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but I figured it was some sort of gossip. I couldn't help but smirk to myself. If all contradictions were as easy as that one to find, perhaps my fears regarding this case would end up being unfounded.

"Order!" Judge Frost cried. "Prosecutor Burke, what do you think of this contradiction?"

"It's all rather simple, if you ask me," Prosecutor Burke said. "Just because she couldn't have caused the power outage doesn't mean she committed the crime. For all we know, an employee at the prison could have turned off the power and locked the courtyard door behind them. That was when she used her key to enter the courtyard and strike at the victim, shooting him to death."

"But why would another employee turn off the power box? There isn't any other reason that I could think of that a guard at the prison would want the power off at that time of the morning. It had to have been the killer," I retorted. "On top of that, there were no reports of the victim escaping his cell. The killer must have turned off the power before letting the victim out and killing him in the courtyard."

"And where, pray tell, is your proof of this?" Prosecutor Burke asked. "Evidence is everything in court and you know it. Our legal system would be a joke if it operated solely on baseless rumors and conjecture."

I could feel a drop of sweat roll down one side of my face. "I don't have any proof of it yet..." I murmured.

"Exactly. That means that you can't disprove my theory of the defendant potentially taking advantage of the power outage caused by another to kill the victim," Prosecutor Burke smiled.

"I think that we should hear a few more details about this power box. It must be a vital part of the case," Judge Frost suggested. "Detective Erikson? Would you mind testifying again?"

"Of course not," Detective Erikson replied.

"I was hoping that would turn out in our favor, but I suppose that just wasn't meant to be," I muttered to Chrysalis with a small sigh.

"The prosecution usually is rather versatile in these trials since the prosecutors have more information at their disposal," Chrysalis told me. "Don't let it get you down. No murder is perfect, which means that if Yuri didn't do it, there are holes in the prosecution's case against her. There also have to be clues that the killer did it lurking somewhere at the scene of the crime. It's just a matter of finding them."

"Alright... For now, let's focus on this next testimony. It might have some new information that we might need about the case," I suggested.

"I agree. The power box is going to be a vital part of solving this case. It's just a matter of fitting it into the puzzle at this point," Chrysalis nodded.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Prison Power Box~**

_\- "The power box the prison uses can be found on the wall of the courtyard."_

_\- "In order to be opened, it requires a four digit passcode known only to a select few prison staff members."_

_\- "A fingerprinting system is also in place to keep unwanted guests from going through it."_

_\- "When the police investigated it, no fingerprints could be lifted."_

_\- "A report exists in the camera room of the prison that details when the box was turned off or on."_

_-_ _"The report stated that the power box was turned off at 5:03 AM and turned on again at 5:17 AM."_

_\- "While we don't know who turned it off, it was turned on by Pandora Rell."_

_\- "Only a few people can get into the prison's power box, all of those people being guards."_

"That's a lot of new information about the power box... Pandora didn't tell us that much when she spoke with us yesterday," Chrysalis remarked.

"That's because the fingerprinting system as well as the report are kept top secret. Only about half of the guards who have access to the power box know about the report that is made regarding the box. None of the prisoners are aware of the fingerprinting aspect on top of that," Detective Erikson explained.

"I think that's about all the information that I need when it comes to the power box," nodded Detective Frost. "Thank you for your testimony, detective."

"It was my pleasure," Detective Erikson said.

"Wow... This electricity box sure is important when it comes to this case," Chrysalis murmured. "I guess we'll just have to figure out the truth behind the power box if we want to track down the killer."

"The defense would like to begin its cross-examination," I declared.

"Go on ahead. It's not like it really matters, though. I mean, the detective just stated the irrefutable facts, so you can't really object," smirked Prosecutor Burke.

"I swear that she's not normally that cocky..." Chrysalis told me. "She can just be competitive in court."

"Go on and start your cross-examination," Judge Frost instructed.

"It would be my pleasure," I said with a nod.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Prison Power Box~**

_\- "The power box the prison uses can be found on the wall of the courtyard."_

_\- "In order to be opened, it requires a four digit passcode known only to a select few prison staff members."_

_\- "A fingerprinting system is also in place to keep unwanted guests from going through it."_

_\- "When the police investigated it, no fingerprints could be lifted."_

_\- "A report exists in the camera room of the prison that details when the box was turned off or on."_

_\- "The report stated that the power box was turned off at 5:03 AM a_ _nd turned on again at 5:17 AM."_

_\- "While we don't know who turned it off, it was turned on by Pandora Rell."_

_\- "Only a few people can get into the prison's power box, all of those people being guards."_

"Objection!"

"How is it that you can turn around and object to the testimony when I just told you that it was entirely factual?" Prosecutor Burke asked, glaring at me.

"The facts of this testimony are correct as far as we know now. However, there is one problem that I have with it. I maintain my stance that the killer was the one who turned off the power box to help them commit the crime," I responded.

"Go on and explain," Judge Frost told me with a small frown.

"Another person in the prison would have no motive to turn off the power. The electricity keeps the prisoners in their cells on top of the keys used to lock them in. If one were to turn the power off, prisoners could easily pick the locks and escape. The killer wanted the victim out of his cell and out to the courtyard to commit the murder since there were no cameras there," I began to explain. "Nobody else would have a reason for potentially letting out the prisoners aside from the killer, who was trying to lure the victim into the courtyard to kill him without any footage being taken. If the cameras were off because of the power outage and the electricity was gone, prisoners would be able to escape without anybody knowing. It must have been the killer who was beginning to set their murderous plan in motion!"

"But how does that relate to the testimony?" Prosecutor Burke asked. "You're going on a long rant that doesn't seem to have much of a purpose."

"Only guards can get into the power box. That means that my client is off the list of suspects for causing the power outage," I went on. "A guard must have done it. On top of that, only the killer would have a motive for taking the electricity out of the situation. It was to free the victim so that he could be killed out in the courtyard!"

"Why would the killer drag the victim out to the courtyard instead of just killing him in his cell?" Judge Frost questioned.

"I think that it's because that would cause all sorts of guards to come running. The nearby men would have appeared and noticed the killer there. The killer caused the power outage, which allowed the victim the chance to escape in the darkness. He wanted him out in the courtyard because it's difficult to access and there's only one entrance. That meant that the killer would have had enough time to escape without any issues at all," Chrysalis explained. "The witness of this case told us herself that traveling to the courtyard can take quite a bit of time if you aren't running."

"Speaking of witnesses," cut in Prosecutor Burke. "I think that it's time to call in the witness to this case. Step down, detective," Prosecutor Burke instructed. Detective Erikson nodded and walked away from the witness stand.

"I can tell that she's frustrated. Hitting her with logic early on psyched her out, which means that she might end up making a mistake. I know how she is," smiled Chrysalis. "However, we can't let this get to our heads. Just because we have her on the ropes doesn't mean that we've already won. We have a lot to prove before this case can be considered closed."

"You're right. If we focus on what's happening now, we can hopefully take care of this," I agreed.

While Chrysalis and I had been talking, Ms. Rell had appeared at the witness stand. She was twirling some of her hair over her finger as she stared around the courtroom. It didn't look like she was in her element at all, so she likely hadn't been inside of a courtroom before.

"Please state your name and occupation," Judge Frost said.

"Pandora Rell... I work as an assistant to the warden of the local prison," Ms. Rell told him. "And as of right now, I'm a witness to the crime... Unfortunately..."

"She looks tired. I'm betting that she didn't sleep very much last night," Chrysalis murmured to me.

"I bet that you're right. She looks exhausted... I hope she doesn't end up under too much psychological stress," I muttered under my breath.

"Go on and begin your testimony about the incident that took place yesterday morning," Prosecutor Burke instructed.

"Alright... I'll start with the first part of it all," Ms. Rell replied. "Okay... Here we go..."

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Power Outage Incident ~**

_\- "I was in the camera room to make sure that none of the prisoners had escaped when the power went out."_

_\- "I knew it was something to do with the power box since that's the source of electricity for the prison."_

_\- "It took me about ten minutes to get there, and once I arrived, I turned it off."_

_\- "I didn't see anything too particularly peculiar about the scene..."_

_\- "After I turned on the power again, I shut the box and went back to the camera room to keep watching." "_

That sounds like about what Detective Erikson told us," Judge Frost remarked. "I don't think there's anything we can really say about that testimony."

"In that case, let's just go on and let the defense cross-examine her. The sooner that's done with, the better," Prosecutor Burke said.

"Alright. I'll get right on it,' i nodded.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Power Outage Incident ~**

_\- "I was in the camera room to make sure that none of the prisoners had escaped when the power went out."_

_\- "I knew it was something to do with the power box since that's the source of electricity for the prison."_

_\- "It took me about ten minutes to get there, and once I arrived, I turned it off."_

_\- "I didn't see anything too particularly peculiar about the scene..."_

_\- "After I turned on the power again, I shut the box and went back to the camera room to keep watching."_

"Objection!"

"I'm afraid that this contradicts what Detective Erikson mentioned earlier," I said. "He mentioned that the power box out in the courtyard was found open when the police arrived. Are you sure that you really shut it?"

"I'm positive that I did! I shut it!" Ms. Rell cried.

"Well, the police obviously didn't see that at the scene of the crime," Prosecutor Burke sighed. "Are you sure that you shut that damn box?"

"Of course I did! I didn't hear the click that I usually hear when the box shuts, but I figured that was just because of the loud wind..." Ms. Rell murmured.

"The prosecution presents this picture of the opened power box," Prosecutor Burke declared.

"The latch on that box... It looks like it would be easy to cover with a rubber band to keep it from shutting. Whoever turned off the power might have covered the latch with a band to keep it from shutting all the way," I thought aloud.

"W-Was the box sh-shut when you found i-it?" Anton stuttered from beside Prosecutor Burke. I admit, I almost forgot that he was there because of how quiet he had been.

"No... It was open. It was just barely cracked..." Ms. Rell responded.

"In that case, it seems like a rubber band was put over the latch to keep it from closing," Chrysalis said. "This... This is peculiar..."

"The fingerprint mechanic is on the inside of the box. The password is on the outside and the fingerprinting system is on the inside. The record only activates when somebody puts their finger onto the box's fingerprint system," Ms. Rell explained.

"This is already turning out to be incredibly complex... How this power box fits into the equation is going to be a critical part of solving this case..." Chrysalis said under her breath. "We just need to figure it all out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three days in a row? Dang, I'm really getting into a routine here.   
> I briefly touched on this yesterday, but I decided to start posting my other stuff (including my Digimon story, Fire Emblem original story, FE14 rewrite material, and Octopath Traveler shorts) after I finish this case in roughly a week. Until then, I'm going to just be updating things here. If you guys have any requests for what I should post first, feel free to tell me. I don't have much of a plan for posting as of now.   
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!  
> -Digital


	10. Turnabout Breakdown, Part 5

**March 14**

**C** **ourtroom No. 2**

**11:00 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

"I sort of doubt that a rubber band was put over the latch to keep it from shutting," I murmured. "Ms. Rell just told us that the record only activates itself and records being opened when somebody puts their finger onto the fingerprint system. That means that Ms. Rell might have shut it down, but the killer opened it up again for some reason. If they didn't activate the fingerprinting system, then it wouldn't have been recorded."

"That seems much more plausible than the rubber band theory, actually... I mean, I'm sure that we would have found something like that at the scene of the crime. Either that or a police officer would have mentioned it up until this point," Chrysalis agreed. "Plus, Ms. Rell wouldn't have needed to put in the password on the box if a rubber band was on the latch to keep it open. She would have mentioned it if she didn't need to put in the password. The record is probably a key piece of this puzzle when it comes to figuring out who opened it up before her."

"Speaking of the record... I have a quick question," I said, looking up with a small frown to Ms. Rell.

"What is it? Did I say something weird?" Ms. Rell asked.

I shook my head. "No. I was just wondering about the record... Earlier, someone mentioned that you opened up the box to turn the power on. It was recorded to the file that states who opens the box and when. Well... Why haven't we put a concrete name to the one who opened the box before you? Wouldn't it be noted on the record?" I questioned.

"I'm afraid not... Whoever opened it messed around with the thing. They cut a hole in the page... One automatically comes out of the printer every six hours if somebody turns the power box on or off or otherwise meddles with it. The single page that pops out is the only record we have. It isn't permanently stored in the computer since the technology is kind of old and we haven't gotten around to updating it. We had plans to update it soon, but that doesn't really help us," Ms. Rell sighed. "Sorry..."

"That's unfortunate... But it means that we know something else that takes suspicion away from my client in the defendant's chair," I smirked. "You see, only somebody who knows of the record that is kept could get in there and cut a hole in the page. Plus, said person would need a lot of influence to get into that sort of important room in the first place. Further, the fingerprinting system wouldn't have her in the catalogue of people to allow inside. That keeps her from getting into the power box, which means that she couldn't have turned the power box. I mentioned earlier that the killer must have been the one to power off the box and cause the power outage to help the defendant escape. Therefore... My client is not the one who killed the victim!"

The gallery above burst out into another bout of chatter. I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled. It seemed that things were going my way in this trial... I couldn't really complain about this outcome.

"Good job, Deirdre!" Chrysalis grinned from beside me. "I can always appreciate the epic sort of turnabout!" After she had exclaimed this, her smile melted away to be a bit smaller as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear, embarrassed with her sudden outburst.

"I somehow doubt that Prosecutor Burke can come up with something that can counter that. Unless she has some sort of miraculous trump card hiding up her sleeve, we should be alright for the time being," I said.

"Don't jinx it... Polly is a really good prosecutor. She's passionate about her work. I doubt that she'll let this sort of thing go without some type of objection," Chrysalis frowned.

"I'm afraid that without evidence that proves that the defendant wasn't the one who killed the victim, your 'logical deductions' mean nothing. Criminals follow no logic. They merely kill," Prosecutor Burke cut in, silencing the courtroom. "You may have proved that the defendant didn't cause the power outage, but that doesn't mean that she didn't kill the victim. The events may have been completely unrelated. For all you know, the 'real killer' you keep insisting exists might have turned off the power box to keep the power from going out on its own. After all, the electricity may have been sputtering up until that point! It could have been to prevent a larger issue later on!"

"Objection!"

"I am sure that you would have heard the witness mention that if the power was really struggling that morning. On top of that, wouldn't anybody intending to turn off the power plan to ask Ms. Rell first? She's essentially the head honcho without the warden around, so most orders relating to the power would need to go directly through her, I'm sure," I retorted.

"Objection!"

"Maybe this person just didn't want to bother her. Ms. Rell is a busy woman when it comes to helping the prison function, so it is always possible that the person who turned off the power simply didn't want to impose upon her duties further," Prosecutor Burke suggested.

"Objection!"

"For one, the culprit would have gotten in further trouble if Ms. Rell heard about it afterwards. I'm sure that the punishment for doing something of that nature is rather steep. Furthermore, she would have noticed and told us if something of this nature was going on, with the power being flaky," I frowned. "Plus, if it was really just to help the power, then why was the name of the person who did this cut out of the report? If it was just to be helpful and keep the prison functioning well, there would have been no need to cut out the name entirely. Once Ms. Rell saw the report, she would have spoken to them and learned it was innocent. However, since it was cut out, that's awfully suspicious, which seems to spell out bad intentions to me!"

Prosecutor Burke seemed to be rendered speechless after that. She was just clutching her papers in anger. Anton, who had been staring at us in concern before, reached up to put his arms around Prosecutor Burke to relax her. The woman's shoulders instantly relaxed, most tension in them immediately gone.

"I think that we should have Ms. Rell testify about who had the ability to get into the power box. The electricity in the prison seems to play a key role in this case, so we need to know as much as possible about it," Judge Frost declared. "Are there any objections from the defense?"

I shook my head. "No, Your Honor," I told him.

"And the prosecution? Do you have any issues with that, Prosecutor Burke?" Judge Frost questioned.

"No... None at all..." Prosecutor Burke murmured. It didn't take good hearing to be able to tell that she was upset about my having poked holes in her logic. However, she seemed to be the type to have tough skin, so I figured that she would be alright.

"So... You want me to talk about the people that can get into the power box?" Ms. Rell asked. "I can do that."

"Then get right to it," Judge Frost instructed with a nod.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ People with Access to the Power Box ~**

_\- "There aren't that many people who can get into the power box."_

_\- "It's just me, the warden, and our highest guards that have keys out to the courtyard and know the password."_

_\- "Only those guys are programmed into the fingerprinting system..."_

_\- "...So nobody else can get in, even if they take a key."_

_\- "I don't know who it was that turned off the power that night, but there might be a way to find out..."_

_\- "Anyways, one of the keys went missing recently. The police thought it was because the defendant took it."_

_\- "Even if she had, though, it wouldn't have mattered. No fingerprints, no access."_

"I see... That appears to be a good enough summary," Judge Frost nodded. "Defense, I take it that you'll want to question the witness regarding her testimony?"

"Yes. I have a few questions that I would like answers to. They might be able to help us figure out who got into the power box," I explained.

"Then go on ahead. Nobody is stopping you," Prosecutor Burke said bitterly. She still seemed to be mad over what had gone on in our earlier debate. However, I couldn't do a thing about it now, so I would just have to go on and examine Ms. Rell's testimony as normal.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ People with Access to the Power Box ~**

_\- "There aren't that many people who can get into the power box."_

_\- "It's just me, the warden, and our highest guards that have keys out to the courtyard and know the password."_

_\- "Only those guys are programmed into the fingerprinting system..."_

_\- "...So nobody else can get in, even if they take a key."_

_\- "I don't know who it was that turned off the power that night, but there might be a way to find out..."_

"Hold it!"

"You think there's a way to find out who got into the power box? What is it?" I asked curiously. Whatever it was, it would hopefully help us out in determining the identity of the real killer.

"Every single time a report comes out, it's in the same font," Ms. Rell began. "If we could get every guard with access to get into the power box, we can see their name show up on the report. If we can find a few names that match the size of the cutout, or at the very least are close, it would be narrowed down. I can tell the guards to do that after the trial ends if I can head back to the prison. That way, a list of suspects could be printed off and delivered for the trial to continue."

"That would be very much appreciated," I told her. "Thank you for that. Being able to narrow down the list of suspects, even if only slightly, would be a great deal of help."

"Alright! I'll be sure to do that!" Ms. Rell grinned.

"Is that the only question you had for Ms. Rell, Ms. Brigit?" Judge Frost asked of me.

I shook my head. "No, it isn't. There's another question or two I need to ask her before we'll be able to move on and get into the next subject of conversation," I said. "Ms. Rell, if it's alright with you, please continue your testimony regarding those who can get into the power box."

"Gladly," Ms. Rell nodded.

_\- "Anyways, one of the keys went missing recently. The police thought it was because the defendant took it."_

"Hold it!"

"If you don't mind my asking, whose key went missing? Do you know the name of the guard who owns the lost key?" I asked.

Ms. Rell nodded. "Of course. After all, he told me almost immediately after he noticed it had gone missing. His name is Ulysses Kyllar. I might be wrong on this, but I bet someone mentioned him to you before. He was helping out the police investigation a little bit yesterday by using a metal detector to scan the courtyard for any sign of the murder weapon," she told us. "Do you think that maybe his key going missing has something to do with the way the murder was committed? I can see why you might have it in your head that it's somehow involved..."

"I do think that it's involved. That key is a primary reason behind my client's arrest. However, she could not have gotten into the power box even if she did have the key... She would still need the password to get into the power box, and that's not even taking the fingerprinting system into account," I said. "Do you have any idea where the key might be?"

"I'm afraid not. He just mentioned that it had gone missing two days ago, the day before the murder. The prison's visiting hours had just ended when he entered my office and said that the key had disappeared... He didn't have a clue as to where it had gone, but Ulysses did say that he had run into a peculiar young girl with black and white hair. He also mentioned that she seemed to be angry, so she might have nicked the key off him when he wasn't looking," Ms. Rell explained.

"I'll need to speak with him soon to ask him about the missing key. If Yuri didn't have the key, she couldn't have gotten out to the courtyard, which means that she couldn't have killed the victim out there. That would undoubtedly clear her name of any charges that might be held against her still," I murmured.

"Do you know if Yuri had the key on her when she was arrested?" Chrysalis cut in.

Ms. Rell shook her head. "No, she didn't. Well, yes, I do know, but no, she didn't have any sort of key on her person. Nothing was in her pockets aside from her phone and wallet, and no keys were found in there," she explained. "I heard it from one of the police officers on duty investigating the case."

"If the key wasn't found on her, then it likely wasn't taken by her," I declared. "She let out a scream upon finding the body, so even if she did have the key, she wouldn't have a moment to get rid of it before being caught."

"Objection!"

"You never know if she really did scream upon first finding the body. For all you know, she just didn't scream immediately and hid the key at the scene of the crime somewhere to ensure that it wouldn't be found on her person. How about that?" Prosecutor Burke smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm afraid that simply cannot be the case. After all, a metal detector was used to look over the entire courtyard. The key would have been picked up by the detector if she had hid it there. Plus, if she needed the key to enter the courtyard, then she couldn't have thrown it elsewhere. Once she was in the courtyard, she wouldn't have been able to get rid of the key somewhere else in the building without locking herself out of the courtyard," I told Prosecutor Burke.

"She's right on that. The doors to the courtyard lock on their own at night, so she couldn't have hid the key somewhere else without being stuck in the main part of the prison," Ms. Rell piped in.

"Why didn't you tell me that before?!" roared Prosecutor Burke. If she was any angrier, I would have been able to see smoke coming out of her ears.

"I didn't think it was important... Well, now you know. The courtyard door locks automatically unless you put something in the door to stop it from locking. But, as you can see, nothing of that nature was found at the scene of the crime," said Ms. Rell. "Because of that, you can't really say that the door was held open somehow, which means that there's just got to be another explanation, right?"

"If you ask me, Your Honor, Ms. Rell's words regarding being locked out of the prison prove that my client is innocent," I declared, turning to face Judge Frost.

"Would you be able to explain it in detail for me?" Judge Frost asked.

I nodded. "Yes, as a matter of fact. If the courtyard's door automatically locks upon being shut, that means that the key would have been inside the courtyard if my client committed this crime. She would have wanted to get rid of it before the police arrived. However, nothing of that nature was found at the scene of the crime. If the key was going to be inside the prison, she would have needed to hold the door open with something while she went to hide the key. No rocks or anything else similar were found at the scene that could have been used to open up the door. Aside from the dead body, the courtyard was rather clean. Because of this, my client could not have committed this crime!" I exclaimed.

The gallery above burst out into conversation. I couldn't help but feel proud of myself. There was no way that Prosecutor Burke would be able to come up with something to refute that. My logic just seemed to be too solid when it came to the situation at hand involving the key.

"The prosecution has a request involving this case!" Prosecutor Burke suddenly cried out.

"Order in the court!" Judge Frost yelled. The people watching the trial fell silent at hearing his volume. "What is it that you request, Prosecutor Burke? Is something wrong? You look like you're sweating buckets over there... Are you alright?"

"The prosecution would like another day of investigation! There are too many loose ends that need to be tied up!" Prosecutor Burke told him rather loudly. I was flinching because of how loud she was being. While having incredible hearing was a blessing, it could just as easily end up a curse when in the same room as someone yelling this way.

"I have to agree with Prosecutor Burke," I said. "For one, we don't know where the murder weapon has gone off to. It has to be somewhere at the crime scene or in the prison, but until we find it, we can't truly call this case closed. On top of that, the missing key to the courtyard is another blatant issue that must be resolved before we can even think about closing this case off once and for all. The hole in the report of who has gotten into the power box is a problem too. We know that the defendant couldn't have done it at this point, but with all these gaping holes in the evidence, we can't figure out who really did it conclusively. We can't have anybody innocent going to jail for a crime they didn't commit. That would just cause more issues, so it might be for the best if we get a day of investigation to look into the crime and see if we can find any other pieces of crucial evidence."

"That is a valid point... Alright. I do agree that there are quite a few holes in this case at the moment. Having an extra day of investigation would be incredibly beneficial to both sides of this debate, so perhaps we should adjourn court for the time being," Judge Frost agreed. "Since you both already suggested it, I take it that there are no objections to this. Would that be correct?"

"The prosecution has no objections," Prosecutor Burke told him, glaring at the papers in front of her. She was desperate at this point for any sort of evidence that might have proven that Yuri had committed this crime, but finding none, she had decided that this would be the only option.

"The defense also has no objections," I nodded. Getting another day of investigation time would certainly benefit our case. There had to be one key piece of evidence that pointed to who the killer was and allowed us to free Yuri. With all these holes in the prosecution's case, there was no way that she could have been the killer. We just needed to find something that showed us who had killed the victim, and I was sure that we'd find it in another phase of investigation.

"In that case, I think it's time to cut off this trial for the time being. We can resume it tomorrow," Judge Frost declared, raising his gavel.

"Hold it!"

We all turned upon hearing the sudden voice to look at Chrysalis. She was looking down at her notebook, the one that she was keeping all the case's details in. "I think that I have one more thing to say before we let the court adjourn for the day," she said quietly.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Judge Frost asked. He tilted his head to the side slightly.

"I think that the prosecution should look into having this Ulysses Kyllar man testify tomorrow during the next segment of the trial. He seems to have some sort of important bearing on the case, so it would be for the best if we got him in here to tell us about what he saw the day of the murder. Plus, the more that we can learn about his mysterious vanishing key, the better. We'll get to the truth much faster if he's here to tell us about the key of his that went missing, so the defense requests that the prosecution investigates Ulysses Kyllar as a witness," Chrysalis announced. "That's all. I'm done."

"I have to agree with that. This Ulysses Kyllar figure already has something to do with the case if he is the owner of the key that went missing the day before the crime. It would be unwise of us to dismiss him. He might end up playing a key role in this case... Ms. Rell also mentioned that he did the metal detection sweep of the courtyard when the police were investigating the scene of the crime, so maybe we'll be able to get a little bit of testimony about tomorrow as well. It might end up important," Judge Frost nodded.

"I somehow doubt that a scan that brought up nothing will be helpful, Your Honor, but if you think that having him as a witness will be important, I'll allow it," Prosecutor Burke said bitterly. I definitely got the feeling that she wasn't going to be letting go of her anger regarding the holes I had poked in her case anytime soon. I was almost hoping that I didn't run into her today during our investigation time, knowing for sure that she'd have a few harsh and loud words for me. Perhaps staying with Chrysalis and doing our own thing alone would be the best course of action for all of us...

"Even if you don't think it will help, the defense seems to think that he has something to do with this murder. Letting an innocent person go to jail is not something I'm going to stand for. We need to look into everything surrounding this murder if we really want to get to the bottom of it. Both sides had better be thorough in their searches this afternoon. I won't be quite such a happy camper if we have to adjourn the trial tomorrow as well because of a lack of evidence for a second time. This should be all the time that you'll need if you're able to spend it well," Judge Frost told us. "Do I make myself clear on this matter?"

"Yes, Your Honor," I said with a nod. "The defense will look into everything we feel to be important surrounding this case so that we may find the real killer during the trial and release the defendant."

"The prosecution will prove her guilty, Your Honor. I will not allow her to be let off the hook for the heinous crime of murder. No people who take another human life can possibly be forgiven, which I will prove in court tomorrow. The victim's killer will not be allowed to roam the streets, that I promise," Prosecutor Burke announced. Somehow, she had grown even more intense in the past few minutes. Now I definitely wanted to avoid her, especially if she was going to be like this during the rest of the afternoon in the investigation.

"In that case, the trial of Yuri Rinko is now out of session for the day. Tomorrow, we will meet back here at 10:00 AM to discuss the new details of the case that are sure to be revealed in today's investigation. And with that said, court is adjourned!" Judge Frost cried. He raised his gavel and slammed it down on the bench in front of him, giving the cue to all of us to scatter out of the courtroom and return the defendant and prosecution lobbies.

**March 14**

**Defendant Lobby No. 2**

**12:05 PM**

**Yuri Rinko**

"That sure was heart-stopping," I said once I had arrived back out in the defendant lobby. Deirdre and Chrysalis were standing in front of me, both relieved at the break in the trial. I had to admit, I was happy too. I was a bit nervous when I walked into the courtroom earlier, but now, it felt like a huge weight had just been lifted off my shoulders. At this point, I just had to make sure that nothing bad happened tomorrow...

"We'll be able to find out more during this afternoon's investigation. At this point, we'll be able to find the killer with a few key pieces of evidence. If we can get our hands on the murder weapon, the gun that was used to kill the victim, the key to get out to the courtyard that recently went missing, and the name of the person whose name was on the report for the power box originally, we should find our guy. It wouldn't surprise me if the gun was hidden since it was an incriminating piece of evidence. As for the key, it was either taken by the killer or was hidden to frame you," Chrysalis told me.

"I don't think it was taken by the killer. I somehow think that the owner of the key is the one who did this. Why would the killer take the key if they likely already had a copy of the key to get out to the courtyard in the first place?" Deirdre asked. "I suppose that we won't know until we get to the crime scene and start asking around. Things are already going in our favor now that court has been adjourned for the time being. We have to use this to our advantage."

"And I'm sure you will. Everything has got to be alright if you can find that stuff. Once that's all been figured out, I should be out of the detention center in no time! At least, that's what I'm hoping... I have faith in you guys. You can find the killer in an afternoon and a trial. It'll be a piece of cake for you guys. After all, you already managed to hold off the trial's verdict so far by proving my innocence. Who's to say that you can't prove it more and find out who the real killer is?" I questioned. "I'm positive that you'll be able to do it. You seem to be a pretty good team when it comes to cracking cases."

"You'll be home by dinnertime tomorrow. I'm not about to let you go to prison," Chrysalis said, determination shining in her sapphire eyes. "But for now, Deirdre and I need to go back to the prison. We need to find those crucial pieces of evidence to use against the real killer tomorrow. Until we see you again after our investigation, stay out of trouble. We can't have you in trouble for two murders, now can we?"

"Nope. And I won't get into any trouble. It's not like I can cause trouble even if I wanted to. I'm locked in a room with a few books and a sink. Not much trouble you can cause in that environment," I assured her. "Anyways, I'll see you around later. Don't end up in any sort of trouble yourselves. Can't have lawyers getting arrested for murder!"

"I'll see you later, Yuri," Chrysalis smiled with a wave. "We'll tell you what we find this afternoon."

"Bye!" I chirped, waving back at her.

I could feel a hand on my shoulder, one that I soon found belonged to Detective Wattson. She was in charge of escorting me to and from the detention center, so it wasn't any sort of surprise to see her there. She seemed to be a nice enough lady, so I didn't have any problems with going with her. Other detectives weren't quite so kind, but she wasn't too bad. I wouldn't have even objected to seeing her on any other cases I took on in the future after this case had come to a close. If she was on a lot of cases, the chances I would run into her were rather high. "You ready to go, love?" Detective Wattson asked of me. I nodded.

"Yeah. Let's get going," I responded. Detective Wattson responded with a nod and began to lead me out of the courthouse to go back to the horrible detention center. At least I'd get to chat with her a bit on the way back there...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really need to stop posting these at 12:00, don't I?  
> Now that I've finished up here, I'm going to read some good old Skulduggery Pleasant and then go to sleep. See you guys tomorrow.   
> -Digital


	11. Turnabout Breakdown, Part 6

**March 14**

**Prison Courtyard**

**12:30 PM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

After we left Yuri, Deirdre and I made our way back to the prison to look into a few more things involving the murder. We had to make sure we got something productive out of our investigation for Judge Frost. He wouldn't be the happiest if we didn't find something.

When Deirdre and I arrived back out in the courtyard, we didn't see a trace of Detective Erikson. Instead, we saw another man wearing a prison guard uniform. He was standing near the power box as he played around on his phone. When he looked up at Deirdre and I, his dark eyes became visible. His hair couldn't be seen underneath the uniform hat that he wore as a guard. Only one of his eyes could be seen, as the other was covered up by the brim of his hat.

"Who are you two supposed to be?" the man asked in a monotone voice. He went back to staring at his phone after taking in our presence.

"I'm Deirdre Brigit, the main lawyer on this case. This is Chrysalis, my helper. We're here to investigate the crime scene," Deirdre told him.

"Oh. I see. Well, in that case, I'll leave you to it," the man said. He tucked his phone into his pocket and began to walk away from us, off towards the prison building to go somewhere inside. I suspected that he was going to be heading to his office for some peace and quiet, or just to escape me and Deirdre.

However, Deirdre wasn't going to let him get away that easily. She took a step towards him as he started his journey to the courtyard door. "What's your name? We need to talk to you about the details of this case. You might know something important that we don't. Any information will be helpful," she said. "I'm sure Ms. Rell would appreciate it if you would take a bit of time to discuss the morning of the crime with us. Would it be alright with you?"

The man let out a sigh. "Ulysses Kyllar is the name. I work as a guard here in the prison. I don't know anything about the crime. There. Are you happy?" the man, who we now knew to be Mr. Kyllar, snapped. "Can I go now? I have other things to do that are much more important than talking to you two clowns."

I subconsciously began touching the Magatama that was hanging around my neck. Three Psyche-Locks came springing into place over Mr. Kyllar's heart. Thanks to the spiritual power conferred onto it, my Magatama could see into the hearts of others and tell me if they were hiding anything. It had always been useful, and it was showing such now. I looked to Deirdre before glancing back at Mr. Kyllar. "Hold on. I want to ask you a few questions about the crime. We know that you're involved from the trial today. Your key to the courtyard is the one that went missing the day before the murder. Plus, you're the one who did the metal detection sweep of the courtyard. Ms. Rell told us that too. That means that you're very important in this case," I told him. "You can't hope to lie to us when we know that you have to do with the murder of the victim. It would be best for you to just go on and tell us the truth up front."

Mr. Kyllar let out a sigh. "I don't know what you're on about. If you're trying to get my attention, it isn't working. I still have other things to take care of. Can you leave me alone now?" he asked. "I don't want to talk to somebody as ridiculously nosey as you."

"No. I need you to tell me about the key that went missing the day before the crime. Do you know where it is?" I questioned of him, my eyes narrowing.

"I don't have the stupid key anymore, okay? It went missing after I ran into the suspect for the crime. She must have taken it off me while I wasn't looking," Mr. Kyllar said. "I wouldn't put it past a criminal. Anyone worth their salt when it comes to murder knows how to steal something for a crime scene."

"Where do you keep the key? Is it normally in some sort of special location?" I interrogated. I got the feeling that this would have something to do with proving Yuri innocent. Mr. Kyllar was obviously hiding something, and if I could dig up whatever it was, I'd be one step closer to finding the victim's killer.

"It's in my office," Mr. Kyllar responded. "Why is that important to you at all? You're a kid. What are you, twelve? You look like you're still in middle school, being as short as you are. Children shouldn't be at crime scenes. Go play with your dolls or something, Christy."

I felt my face go red as I glared at him. My hands clenched tightly by my sides, but I wasn't going to let him get to me. "It's Chrysalis. And I know that you're lying about the defendant possibly taking the key. You said that you keep it in your office, yes? Well, I don't know if you're aware of this, but the defendant was confirmed to have come into the prison briefly. She learned that visiting hours in the detention center were over and left. It's one of the basic facts of this case. She couldn't have possibly gotten into your office to take the key," I told him. "So I have to ask... What really happened to your key to the courtyard?"

One of the Psyche-Locks around Mr. Kyllar shattered into bits. I didn't savor this victory, however. I had to focus on cracking the other two Locks before he tried to flee the conversation. "You never know about criminals. Plus, for all you know, she could have just snuck into my office to snag the key the morning of the murder. Why didn't you think of that? Huh?" Mr. Kyllar was growing confrontational now, so I knew that I was getting to him. With just a little more pushing, he'd snap and tell me what was going on when it came to the incident of the missing key.

"Someone would have seen her if she had gone to your office the morning of the murder. Nobody has mentioned it. Besides, how would she even get into your office in the first place? It would have been locked. On top of that, the cameras in the prison would have spotted her, but none did, which means that it's impossible for her to have taken the key from your office. That means that only you or some other person besides the suspect could have taken the key from your office," I went on, placing one hand on my chin as I thought.

Another Psyche-Lock snapped. I had to bite my lip to keep from smirking. This wasn't the most difficult unlocking sequence, that I was sure of.

"Then who the hell do you think took the damn key? Unless you can tell me that, then I'm afraid that I won't be able to help you out at all," Mr. Kyllar said coldly. "Go on and tell me then. Who took the stupid key from my office and where is it now? Why can't we find it anywhere, Christa?"

"Chrysalis. And I think it's rather simple... Nobody would be able to get into your office easily... You know, aside from you. Perhaps you're the one who took the key and hid it somewhere to keep anyone from getting their hands on it. What do you say to that, Mr. Kyllar?" I asked of him.

Mr. Kyllar glared at me for a moment before turning on his heel. The third and final Psyche-Lock shattered as he was departing. He walked angrily towards the door. He threw the door open and walked into the building, leaving Deirdre and I alone in the courtyard. I looked up at her with a small hint of a smile on my face. "Well, it looks like we know who took the key now. We just need to find it so that we can use it in court," I smiled to her.

"How did you even do that?" Deirdre questioned, her eyes wide.

I pointed to my Magatama. "This little thing can help me see if someone is hiding something. I figured that the incident of the missing key was more than it seemed, and with a little probing, I found I was right. I was mostly winging it, but in the end, it paid off, so I suppose you can't really find fault in it," I said with a small shrug. "Now, where would that key be...? It can't be in his office, as that would be too obvious... Undoubtedly somebody would have helped him look through the office, and he couldn't risk anyone finding it... As for the courtyard, a metal detection sweep was already done of the area. No metal was found, which means that the key couldn't possibly be out here... Hm... Where could it possibly be...?" I wondered aloud, tapping my chin with one finger.

"Wait... The metal detection sweep! Maybe Mr. Kyllar hid something when he did it. If he was able to hide his results from one area of the courtyard or skip over said region entirely, he could have hidden something here at the crime scene. Nobody would doubt his words if he went over the crime scene a few times, which would have him hiding important evidence right in plain sight where no one would expect it to be. If we can use a metal detector, we can find whatever it is he may have hidden, if he hid anything here at all," Deirdre told me. "I wonder if there's one around here somewhere..."

"What's this about metal detectors?"

We both turned upon hearing the voice of Detective Erikson. He had a metal detector in his hands as he walked towards us. "So you two are starting your investigation back here at the crime scene, eh?" he asked of us.

Deirdre nodded. "Yes. We want to see if there's anything of note we may have missed yesterday... Do you think we'd be able to borrow that metal detector for a minute? There's something that we're looking for, and we think that a metal detector would be able to pick up readings for it," she explained.

"Yeah, sure. Just be sure to give it back once you're done. I'm going to be over here looking through a few case details. Tell me if you find anything," Detective Erikson told us. He handed over the metal detector and walked a few feet away before pulling a small notepad from his coat's pocket, flicking through the contents quietly.

Deirdre turned on the metal detector and began to hover it above the ground. We were quiet for a minute or two before the detector let out a shrill beeping sound upon being put near a bush.

Deirdre frowned and got closer, which only made the sound grow louder. I began to part the leaves of the bush to see what was setting off the reaction inside, and to say the least, I was more than a bit surprised at what I found.

I let out a gasp. "Deirdre! A gun is in here! I think it might be the missing murder weapon!" I cried out. "There's a key down there too! Maybe it's the key that went missing the day before the murder! Plus, there's a little chunk of white hair down here too! It got caught in the branches of the bush!"

Detective Erikson had his notepad back in his pocket in an instant as he walked closer. "What?!" he exclaimed in shock as he crouched down beside me to investigate what was inside the bush. I took a step back to allow him some space. He looked just as surprised as I had upon finding all that stuff.

Detective Erikson put on some gloves that he had pulled from his pocket and fished the gun and key out of the bush. He examined the gun with a frown before taking it and the key with him as he dashed from the courtyard. I looked to Deirdre, my eyes still wide from shock that we had actually found the gun. I can be a bit pessimistic at times, I must say. I wasn't expecting us to even find it, but now that we had, I knew that our case had completely changed compared to this morning.

"It looks like Mr. Kyllar did in fact hide the fact his section of the courtyard from his metal detection sweep," frowned Deirdre. "I simply don't see how he'd be able to do multiple sweeps and still not catch the gun and key. I suspect that he hid it intentionally to keep anyone from growing suspicious... But the real question is... Why? Why would he do something like this? He must have had some sort of dark intentions behind it..."

"Maybe it's because he's the killer," I suggested. "I can't think of any other reason for why he would hide the gun and the key. For the key, I think that he hid it to keep Yuri under suspicion. Nobody would listen to the words of a simple teenage girl who was on trial for murder. The police would think she was lying when she was telling the truth since guilty until proven innocent is a thing. The words of a respected prison guard would be put above her testimony. He might have used this to his advantage... If Mr. Kyllar told everyone that she had taken his key and used it to infiltrate the courtyard to kill the victim, people would believe him due to his status, even though we know well that Yuri wouldn't do anything of the sort. He manipulated the police's thinking by anticipating it when he killed the victim. It would make sense... I just have to wonder, why would he frame Yuri? The two likely haven't crossed paths at all before the murder..."

"I suspect it might have been for the sake of convenience. If Yuri was right there, he wouldn't need to do much to frame her. Her mere presence at the scene of the crime would have her under scrutiny from the police. All it took was the claim that she might have taken his key to push him over the edge and frame her for the crime," Deirdre told me. "As for the murder weapon, we can't look over it at all right now since Detective Erikson took it away, likely so the forensics team could perform any necessary tests on it... We'll have to wait until later before we can see what the gun was all about. Until then, there's one more question that I have before we can go on with the crime. The prosecution neglected to mention this during the trial today, so I figured that I'd take this time to talk to you about it. I know that you've heard of the Oracle of the Law since we mentioned it yesterday during our investigation."

My shoulders went tense immediately. I sure did know about the Oracle of the Law. I didn't know who they were. Nobody did. What I did know, however, was that they were the one responsible for the death of Venus... One of the only rays of hope in my life during my darkest time was Venus, and because of that damn spy, she was dead. She could be channeled, sure, but it wasn't the same as being able to see her daily and have her light up my world. Sure, I was a bit more stable now compared to how I had been when I met Venus, but that didn't lessen the pain. If I ever learned of who Oracle was, I would surely get my revenge on them so that they'd be unable to hurt me or anyone else that I knew ever again.

Deirdre and I approached the outline of the body. I realized quickly what Deirdre was going to ask me about. There was a bloody message left near the body that spelled out a message to Oracle. Whoever had done this had a bone to pick with Oracle for whatever reason, but I still did have a question about why the message was left at this crime scene, as it didn't make a lick of sense when you took a step back to think about it logically.

"What do you think this message means?" Deirdre asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Whoever did this hates Oracle with a burning passion like I do. But it doesn't make sense... Everyone knows that Oracle is a young female from the trial a year ago. The one public exposure of Oracle was in a trial. They were exposed to be a young woman when they received knife scars on the back of their hands. However, nobody knows more than that... I do wonder why anybody would leave this message at a crime scene like this. The victim could not have been Oracle, so I don't get it..." I murmured, shaking my head to myself as I spoke. It made no sense.

"You're talking about Oracle's public sighting, correct?" Deirdre questioned, to which I nodded. Deirdre closed her eyes in thought. "I wonder about what this might be... Perhaps this is something of a warning message to the Oracle, as if to tell them that they won't be around for much longer. That would make it something along the lines of a threat... That means that the killer might have an idea as to who Oracle is behind the mask and public image."

My eyes went wide. "Wait... You think that the killer might know Oracle? The killer knows who Oracle is and is planning to do something to them?" I asked.

Deirdre nodded hesitantly. "Maybe. It's just thinking for the time being. I can't say anything conclusive at the moment since we know little to nothing about the Oracle and their true identity, but it might end up being something of significance. We can't say for sure as of now, but we can keep it in the back of our minds for the time being. You never know what details might end up being important in the trial, so we should keep it in mind as of now. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah... But if the killer knows who Oracle is, that news is bound to become huge. After all, Oracle is well known all over the city for exposing corrupt dealings. There are all sorts of disputes about if they're just or not, but nobody knows for sure. Many people want the Oracle dead for their exposures in the past. Prosecutors known for forging evidence have fallen to Oracle's might in the past, so other forgers target them as well. If this news went public, then all sorts of attempts would be made on Oracle's life. They wouldn't survive a week unless they created an entire new alias to hide under until the danger blew over. It would be nothing short of disaster for Oracle and their associates, so none can say how chaotic the legal system would become," I said quietly.

"Do you think that Oracle perhaps has something else to do with this case? I find it a bit odd that the killer would write something like that if it didn't have any sort of purpose relating to the murder... If Oracle is involved, then that could easily turn this case on its head," Deirdre remarked to me.

I shook my head quickly. "No way is Oracle involved in something like this. Oracle only ever dives into the huge cases that are all over the media. Something like this would undoubtedly be beneath them. Thinking that they're involved will just distract us from finding the real killer. It's best if we just forget about them until the case comes to a close. That will keep us focused on finding the one who killed the victim," I told her.

"You seem to know quite a bit about Oracle, Chrysalis," Deirdre said. "Have you been looking into them in your spare time, perhaps?"

"Something like that... Cotoli, Venus, and I were looking into it for quite some time. Ever since Oracle hit the public in the news after a televised interview, we've been looking into them. I used to think that they were just some other mystery that we'd need to solve at some point or another, but I don't think that anymore. These days, I just hate Oracle with a burning passion... If they hadn't popped up, Venus would still be alive. Of course, we never knew that she was potentially associated with Oracle, as that would be just ridiculous. She was only nineteen. What reason would she have to get involved with a huge spy that was all over the news? It was like asking for trouble," I frowned. "Cotoli and I... We don't like Oracle quite so much anymore. It's not as interesting as it is dangerous. Oracle has a habit of dragging down others with them. The lawyer who first mentioned them on a press conference died after the interview about expanding his law agency. Oracle isn't a simple figure that we can look to for help. They're just a beacon asking for all sorts of danger to come their way."

"Perhaps I can hear more about Oracle once this case has come to a close. I never got the full story behind the case last year where Oracle was exposed, so maybe one of you can explain it to me," Deirdre suggested. "Now, we're obviously distracted by the murder, but after Yuri is freed, we should have the time."

"Cotoli will be the professional on the matter. After all, he was the lawyer for the exposure case last year. I wasn't there watching the trial since I had some other things to do that day. I think I was babysitting Anton or something. Can't exactly remember. Point is, he has much more information than I ever will, so he's the best one to ask. Once all of this has ended and things are calm again, I'm sure he'd gladly explain what happened to you and potentially Lily. You seem interested in Oracle, Deirdre. Is there any reason in particular that you want to hear the story about Oracle? Do you want to know who they are too?"

"It's mostly curiosity... I get the feeling that Oracle's true identity will end up being important one day, so I might as well learn as much as I can about them for now," Deirdre responded. "But for the time being, that can wait. Maybe Detective Erikson will be back soon with some news regarding the gun that was found in the bush. If that really is the murder weapon, then we'll have to learn as much as we can about it to use in court tomorrow. If it has something to do with Mr. Kyllar, we should be able to corner him with this new piece of evidence on top of what we've already gathered so far."

We didn't get the chance to talk about it further before the door opened. Detective Erikson was coming out, a frown on his face. I had no doubts that it was something to do with the gun that we had found. It would make no sense if it didn't involve the weapon.

"We can't say for sure yet if this is the gun that took the life of the victim, but the chances of it are looking pretty good so far. We're going to need forensics to test the ballistic markings to ensure that this is the true murder weapon, but it'll be a while before we get the results back. I'll be sure to tell you when we hear what the deal is involving the gun," Detective Erikson told us. "Do you guys have any problems with me doing that?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't think so. But I still do have a quick question for you... Do you think that maybe you'd be able to do another test for us? When we found the gun, we found a little piece of white hair in the bush as well... Would you be able to figure out who the hair belongs to? It might be able to help us track down the killer. Since it couldn't have been Yuri, this could point to the one who really committed the murder. Please?" I asked, practically begging.

Detective Erikson nodded. "If you have the hair with you, I can certainly take it to forensics and ask if they can test it too. They shouldn't have any problems with it, so I should be able to get the results back to you when I get the results back for the gun. If it's the defendant, we'll be able to tell you. It might take a little while to track down whose it is if the hair doesn't belong to her, though... Her hair wasn't at all uneven when we arrested, so it's unlikely that it came from her. Don't be surprised if there's a wait. Sorry about that," Detective Erikson told us, a small frown appearing on his face.

"That's alright. Just so long as we can get the results before the trial tomorrow, we should be fine. We just need to be able to prove that Yuri didn't do it, and this hair might be our key to that. Speaking of the key, do you think the police will be doing anything with it now that it's been found? Maybe testing it for prints or something? The key was the most debated piece of evidence in court today. It's pretty much the lock on figuring out this case. I figured that maybe the forensics team would want it for something or another," I said. "We can give it to you if you think that you'll need it later on in the investigation."

"I think that it might be best if I take it to forensics along with the clump of hair. Where are they?" Detective Erikson questioned. "Still in the bush?"

"You got it. We haven't touched them since you took the gun. We were just talking about the note written in the victim's blood," I told him.

Detective Erikson walked over to the bush and fished out the key and hair, putting them both into their own plastic bags so that he could take them to forensics without at all tampering with them. "Thanks for the help on this. I'll give you the results as soon as I can. Prosecutor Burke won't exactly approve of it, but I know that she's fond of your brother, so maybe she can make an exception for you. Plus, Mukuro wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I did something to get Yuri arrested. She thinks that the defendant is a sweet kid," Detective Erikson said with a small chuckle. "I'll be seeing you two around, I take it?"

"Yeah. We'll look around here for a little longer before going to find Mr. Kyllar again. We spoke with him earlier, but I get the feeling that we have to speak to him at least a little more before the trial tomorrow," Deirdre explained to him. "He seems to know a bit more than he lets on, I'm afraid."

"The police gathered that much from him during questioning. While he is an effective prison guard, Mr. Kyllar can be more than a little stubborn during interrogation. He keeps exercising his right to remain silent when it comes down to the matter of the key. We keep trying to push something out of him, but it isn't working out very well. Perhaps you'll be able to get at least a little bit of information from him despite his tight lips," Detective Erikson said. "I'm wishing you luck on it though. Nobody can predict how he'll react. He's a bit of a wild card in that regard, but there isn't much that we can do about it now."

"Thank you for all this, Detective Erikson," I smiled at the man. "We'll see you later. Good luck in talking to Mr. Kyllar and the forensics team."

Detective Erikson smiled in response and waved as he headed back into the building. He was a kind guy. I was glad that he was the detective on this case since he was so nice to us. I hoped silently that we'd be seeing him again before the trial tomorrow so that we could get our information and test results early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said yesterday that I was posting these pretty late, and I respond by making this chapter go up incredibly late. Oops. My bad.   
> Aside from that, I don't have much of anything else to say. I hope you all enjoyed!  
> -Digital


	12. Turnabout Breakdown, Part 7

**March 14**

**Prison Break Room**

**2:00 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

Chrysalis and I ended up heading to the prison's break room after our chat with Detective Erikson. We needed to figure out where Mr. Kyllar was so that we could ask him a few other questions about the case. He had seemed rather put off after Chrysalis had pressed him earlier in our investigation, but it was critical that we got at least a little bit of information out of him before the trial tomorrow. If we wanted to help Yuri, we'd need as much information as possible, and Mr. Kyllar was our best shot at getting what we needed. Even if he was uncooperative, it was our best option, so what choice did we really have in the matter?

Luckily for us, we didn't have to go on a lengthy search to try and track him down. Standing in the break room was none other than Mr. Ulysses Kyllar himself. He was standing up against the wall as he played on his phone. He didn't seem to notice us at first. It wasn't until Chrysalis cleared her throat to get his attention that he looked up. He rolled his eyes and glared at Chrysalis, recognizing us from earlier on. "Great. What do you want from me this time? Do you want to accuse me of murder or some stupid crap like that? If you're going to do that, keep it to yourself. This case has nothing to do with me, and that's final."

I could sense that he was lying thanks to my superior hearing. The extra sound that I heard behind his speech, which I had dubbed discord, said loud and clear that the case had something to do with him. However, there was no point arguing that in a situation like this one. Chrysalis had already pressed that much out of him, so why bother? We'd be able to confront him for real in the trial tomorrow anyways, so we might as well save our arguments for then when he couldn't leave or get away without facing serious consequences.

"We just have a few more questions for you. It's nothing major," I assured him, praying internally that he wouldn't lash out and try to do something regarding Chrysalis and her earlier accusations. "I promise you that we don't have anything life-changing to ask you regarding this murder. Will you please answer our questions? We'll be able to leave you alone sooner if you try and cooperate with us for the time being. How does that sound to you, Mr. Kyllar?"

The man paused for a moment before turning off his phone and stuffing it into his back pocket. "Alright. What do you want to ask? But don't be long. I have other things to take care of. I'd rather not be late since I was busy talking to you two sad sacks. What is it that's up first?"

"Will you be testifying in the trial tomorrow?" asked Chrysalis. "I don't think that we heard if you were when we spoke earlier on."

"Yeah. The prosecutor wants me to talk a little bit about the metal detection sweep I did the day of the initial investigation. What does it mean to you? Are you going to do something to keep me from testifying, Chrissy?" Mr. Kyllar asked, clearly still a bit peeved with his interactions with Chrysalis from earlier on.

"No, we were just curious as to if we'd be seeing you again when court went back in session tomorrow," I told him. "It's nothing to be concerned with."

"Next up... Do you know of anybody who ripped their uniform lately? We found a small patch of fabric at the scene of the crime that Pandora says is from a prison uniform that needed to be repaired. We figured that a high-ranking guard would know better than anyone if something happened to rip a uniform of one of his coworkers," Chrysalis said next. "If you do know, would you be able to tell us their name so that we can go on and talk to them about it?"

Mr. Kyllar's eyes went wide with shock for a moment. However, this didn't last very long. He returned to normal quickly and shook his head furiously. "No, I don't know anybody who might have ripped their uniform. If I did, I'd be telling you two just to get you both off my back once and for all," he said. "Are you guys done yet? I still have other stuff to do, and I can't exactly hop to it if I'm occupied telling you guys about stupid things to do with the murder."

"I don't know if I can think of any immediate things to ask... But I suppose I should inform you that the murder weapon, or at least what the police suspect is the murder weapon, was found. It was discovered in a bush out in the courtyard. Did you hear about that already?" I questioned of him. I intentionally left out the key situation, wanting to save it for the trial. Plus, I didn't know how he'd react if we told him that the key had been found at the crime scene.

"No. Nobody told me about it. Of course I'm left out of the loop," huffed Mr. Kyllar. "Thanks for telling, I guess. That's the first good thing that's happened since I've crossed paths with you two. If my intuition is correct, it'll probably be the last two. You both annoy me to no end. Dairy and Chris, the super irritating pair that can give even the most patient people a run for their money. Congratulations on your extreme levels of irritation, you two. You should be proud of yourselves for this wonderful achievement."

Chrysalis and I continued to look at him, choosing to ignore his butchering of our names. I didn't see how Deirdre was at all similar to Dairy besides the opening letter, but I didn't want to drive him away ahead of time. We still needed to see him for a little while longer, so pushing him off by further angering him wouldn't do us any good. As I was looking at him, trying my best to suppress a glare, I noticed something peculiar about his sleeve down near his wrist...

A small section of fabric was missing. It was rather oddly shaped, like the bottom of the sleeve had gotten caught on something sharp, perhaps a chained fence, and ripped of. I stared at it for a moment until Mr. Kyllar noticed. He stared at his hand before looking up at me. "What? Is there something on my hand, Daisy? I'd prefer it if you didn't stare at me like I was an alien from Mars. I'm very much from Eartha and I'm positive that even somebody as stupid as you can figure that out in the blink of an eye," he said, his voice overwhelmed with anger. I got the feeling that he was an all around cranky person from our interactions.

"It's nothing," I told him, hoping that he wasn't at all suspicious. "I think that we're done asking you our questions. You can go on about your life now, Mr. Kyllar. We'll come and find you if something else comes around in our investigation that we need answers to. But for now, you're free to go."

"Finally," Mr. Kyllar groaned. He rolled his eyes as he walked out of the door. He intentionally bumped into me with his shoulder on the way out, not even bothering to apologize. Cross-examining him in court would most certainly be an experience in and of itself. With how angered he could get on top of how gave everyone the cold shoulder, he'd be a difficult witness to contend with. At least Ms. Rell was willing to help us and answer any questions that we had...

"Did you see that?" I asked Chrysalis once he was gone. "On his wrist. There was something there, or rather, something that wasn't there."

"It wouldn't happen to relate to the torn piece of his sleeve, would it?" Chrysalis inquired. "Because if so, I saw it too. A piece of his sleeve was torn off... If you ask me, that has to do with this case in some fashion. Do you have any ideas? I can't think of anything immediately off the top of my head."

"I think I know something," I nodded. "Remember how we found that torn fabric patch at the scene of the crime? Ms. Rell told us that it was the same type of fabric that was used to patch up any holes or tears in uniforms at the prison. I doubt that this is a coincidence. Between it being his key that went missing, the metal detection and his convenient skipping of that bush, and now the fabric patch, he's certainly being made out to be a suspect at the moment."

"I agree. The evidence against Yuri has come crashing down. Her lack of an alibi and having a motive mean nothing when put up against the hard facts of this case. She didn't take the key to get into the courtyard. She also couldn't turn off the power box. With that working in our favor, we can easily determine the killer. But I think that there's one other thing that we'll need to do before we can say that this case is closed and that Mr. Kyllar did it," Chrysalis said.

"What is it? I can't think of anything else important that we'll need to know before we can go into court tomorrow," I remarked with a small frown.

"Well, Pandora said that she could check out the size of the hole cut by the killer in the power box report. If his name matches up with the hole, then we can most certainly accuse him of the murder in court. I doubt that Polly and Anton can worm their way out of something like that when there's this much evidence piled up against Mr. Kyllar. If you ask me, he's going to get the jail time that he deserves, and it all starts with tomorrow's trial," Chrysalis told me.

"You're right. Maybe she's made some progress in that by now. We should go and find Ms. Rell to ask her about it. If she's done, then we can take her results with us to be used in the trial tomorrow. After that, we can see if Detective Erikson has the test results yet. If so, we can keep those as well. If not, we'll just have to wait for the trial to kick off. Then we can go and see Yuri to tell her about what we found today. Do you think we can get going now?" I asked.

Chrysalis opened her mouth to say something, but she never got the chance to speak. Detective Erikson knocked on the door and walked in slowly. "I heard that some guards saw you two coming this way," he remarked. "I have the test results from the gun, hair, and key. I figured you'd want the results now."

"Yeah. We do. It's great that they're done so soon," Chrysalis said. "But... You told us before that the chances of the results coming out earlier were rather slim since the hair likely didn't belong to Yuri, so a bunch more tests would need to be done. You seem to be here a bit earlier on than we could have expected."

"There's a reason for that, but I'll hold off for now. First, there's the gun. There were no prints found on it, but it is in fact the murder weapon. The ballistic markings show that the bullets were fired by this gun, so we don't need to search around for the missing murder weapon anymore," Detective Erikson began.

"That's good to hear. Now that the murder weapon has been found, that's just another weapon in our arsenal for the trial tomorrow," Chrysalis smiled. "What else do you have for us? Is that it as far as the gun is concerned, or is there a bit more for you to explain?"

"As a matter of fact, there is. Another thing was discovered about the gun during our testing. One of the other prison guards who works here recognized it. He told us that the gun is the same type that all guards are given," Detective Erikson told us. "That means that it came from one of the prison workers here."

Chrysalis and I met eyes for a moment, instantly thinking about who it was that likely owned the gun. It had to be Mr. Kyllar given all the evidence that we had received so far about this case. There wasn't another explanation that we could think of. I turned back to Detective Erikson and spoke. "Anything else?"

"When it comes to the gun, not really. There's a bit of stuff about the key and hair piece though. The key had the prints of Ulysses Kyllar, the one who did the metal detection sweep in the courtyard yesterday," Detective Erikson went on. "I suppose that's natural though. I mean, he is the one who owns the key."

"I guess that you'd see that one coming... Is that it about the key?" I questioned. "Were any other prints lifted from the surface of it?"

"More importantly, were Yuri's prints found on the key?" Chrysalis inquired. "If they weren't we can prove in court that she never handled the key."

"No. No other prints were found on the key, just Mr. Kyllar's," Detective Erikson responded. "That's about it as far as the key goes. The piece of hair has a little bit more to it though. The hair does not belong to Yuri, but there is still something rather peculiar about it... We have no doubt that it's involved with this case, but as for how, we don't know. What we found makes no sense, so we don't really know how to put it in with our summary of the murder thus far..."

"You're making it sound like whatever you found will change this case for the worse," I frowned. "Is it really that bad? Who does the hair belong to?"

"We don't know. That's the issue," Detective Erikson said with a sigh and a shake of head. "No DNA could be lifted from the hair. The texture of it is a bit odd, almost like it isn't real hair. It might be a wig or something of that nature. We don't know why there would be hair from a wig at the scene of the crime, though. I mean, there were no other signs of a wig being present. We never found a clump of it or anything at the scene, so it doesn't make much sense now."

"Hair from a wig?" Chrysalis echoed. Her eyes had gone wide in surprise. "That's... That's most certainly unique. I've seen many cases in my day, but I don't remember one off the top of my head that had a wig at the scene of the crime... Guess this is going to be a bit more complicated than we thought."

"Do you know anybody else around here who has white hair? Maybe the white hair they have is just a wig, which would mean that they must be the killer," I suggested. I already had a little bit of an idea who the hair belonged to, but I wasn't going to voice my suspicions until Chrysalis and I were alone.

"No, I'm afraid not. None of the police investigating have run into anybody that has white hair. The guards we spoke to never mentioned anyone either," Detective Erikson told us with a shake of his head. "We believe that whoever used the wig has a different hair color beneath the wig, so narrowing down who used it is going to be impossible. Not even a strand of their hair rubbed off onto the clump, which means that you guys are going to need to find the killer without the DNA from the hair in your evidence stack. I'm afraid that we can't do anything about it at the moment, so sorry about that."

"It's alright. The information that we've gotten from you so far is quite enough," I smiled at him. "Thank you for telling us what you've found. We'll be sure to put it to good use in court tomorrow. Does Prosecutor Burke know any of what you've told us regarding the test results from the forensics team?"

"Not yet. I'm going to see her next so that I can tell her what I've found," Detective Erikson responded. "I'll need to figure out where she is first. I was looking around for quite a while before I found you guys and never saw a trace of her. I really wish that I had her phone number so I could text her about it..."

"Lucky for you, I do have her phone number," Chrysalis said. She pulled out her phone and powered it on before typing something up quickly. "I'll tell her to head out to the courtyard. You'll probably be able to find her there in a matter of minutes. Does that sound good to you?"

"Yes. Thank you for the help," Detective Erikson smiled. "I'll be on my way. Good luck with the rest of your investigation, you two. I trust you'll find something."

Detective Erikson exited the room with a wave. We returned the gesture before looking to one another. Chrysalis looked like she had something to say, as her eyes were downcast as she placed her hand on her chin in thought. I decided to ask her about it. "What's up?" I questioned. "It looks to me like you have something on your mind. Did you realize something about the new evidence that Detective Erikson brought us? Does it have anything to do with the gun?"

"I actually do have something on my mind, yeah. I was thinking about the wig hair... I can't think of any reason that there would be for the hair to not have any DNA," Chrysalis told me. "I can't seem to come up with an explanation, though. I guess that we'll just have to wait until the trial to figure it all out."

"Hey! There you two are!"

We both looked to the door to see Ms. Rell poking her head in. She waved to us and approached. "I looked through all of the names that might fit the hole that was cut out by the culprit. Lucky for us, only about seven of them fit the gap. I compiled a list for you so that you can take it with you," she said. Ms. Rell handed us a paper with a few names on it. I noticed that it was in the same font as the report that stated who had used the fingerprint scanner from the trial earlier on in the day. I bet that was intentional so that we could compare them in the trial if we found that we would need to do so later on.

"Thank you for this," I smiled to her. "Your help is much appreciated. We'll be sure to use this in the trail tomorrow when we get the chance to."

"I'm glad to hear it," Ms. Rell grinned. As I tucked the paper away, she put her hands on her hips. "Do you know who the killer might be? I can't think of anybody, but that might be since I'm not a full-on investigator looking into this case. You guys undoubtedly have a bit more information than I do."

"We have one idea, but we won't be able to prove it until the trial rolls around," Chrysalis told her. "Will you be in court tomorrow? I doubt that Polly will be willing to let you off the hook when you're such a key witness in this case. She's always been on the more intense side as far as prosecutors go."

"I'll be in the gallery. Prosecutor Burke said that she wanted me present so that she could call me up to the witness stand if she found need of me. She was pretty irritated when she told me about it too. Is she always that angry or is this just how she gets when it comes to cases? If that's how it goes, maybe she should find a different profession if she's so miserable... Her agony is contagious," Ms. Rell said with a shake of her head in disapproval.

"She's normally a lot calmer, if you can find it inside yourself to really believe that. She can be a bit rough around the edges, but she's ultimately caring of those that she's close with. If you give her the chance, then she'll be a kind person to you. However, if you're not in her closer circle, the chances of you seeing that side of her are rather slim. She's... She's unique in that way, I suppose," Chrysalis explained. "I promise that she's not this way on a daily basis, Pandora."

"I'm glad to hear it. I'd pity her coworkers if that was the case," Ms. Rell laughed. "I might go on and pity them anyways despite her other attitude."

Chrysalis laughed along with her before stopping. "Well... You probably have other things to attend to aside from talk to us. As the woman in charge for the time being, you have a lot of responsibilities. I'm sure that you have more things to do," she said. "We need to go on and visit Yuri in the detention center anyways."

"Yeah, you're right on me having other stuff to do. I'm sure that Prosecutor Burke will be after my head if I don't do my work. She seems a bit irked with how she's losing this case, so I don't want to fuel the fire and just make her even more angry," Ms. Rell joked. Even if she was saying such things in jest, I couldn't help but think about how her words really weren't all that far from the truth... Prosecutor Burke was a difficult opponent, to say the least.

"Thank you for the information, Ms. Rell. We'll see you tomorrow," said with a small bow of my head. I waved as Ms. Rell cheerily skipped from the room.

"Let's go on and see Yuri now. She'll be wanting to hear about how our investigation is turning out," Chrysalis told me. "I'm sure that it will ease her worries to know that we have a suspect, though we shouldn't tell her who our suspect is. You never know who might be listening. We can reveal the truth in court tomorrow where Mr. Kyllar won't be able to escape his sins. But for the time being, let's go and tell her about our results. She's probably bored out of her mind after being in the detention center for so long."

I nodded my agreement and headed for the door. Chrysalis trailed after me a few feet behind as we walked to the prison's detention center.

**March 14**

**Detention Center**

**3:00 PM**

**Yuri Rinko**

I was sprawled out on my bed in my holding cell until a guard entered and told me I had visitors. I was dragged off to the detention center, praying all the way that it was Deirdre and Chrysalis. Visiting hours were close to over, which meant that the chances of me seeing them if this wasn't them were very slim.

Luckily for me, it was Deirdre and Chrysalis. The latter was trying to hide her emotions the best that she could, but I could tell that she was still excited behind her mask. "So? How is it going?" I asked, eager to hear of what was making her so happy. "Do you know who committed the crime and framed me?"

"We have a suspect at the very least," Deirdre told me. "I'm afraid that we won't be able to tell you much else unless we can wait until the trial. We don't want the culprit suspecting that we think they did it. However, I'm sure that you'll catch on early in the trial when we indict them for murder."

"Sounds good to me. I don't want you guys getting in any trouble because you told me," I shrugged. "Did you guys find anything interesting while looking?"

"We found the murder weapon and the missing key at the scene of the crime for one," Chrysalis said. "The gun we found is the kind used by the guards around here. The ballistic markings match the bullets found in the victim's body. We don't know who the owner of the gun is, I'm afraid. Sorry about that."

"It's okay," I assured her. "Promise. What about the key? Is it the one who went missing the day before the murder? The one that guy is accusing me of stealing? If so, I might have to kick that guy's face in for good measure, because I clearly did not take it if it was found at the scene of the murder."

"You got it right on the nose. It is in fact the same key that went missing. His prints were found all over it. That undoubtedly tells us that you didn't touch it at all, which keeps you from being suspected. I'm glad that we at least have that on our side going into tomorrow," Deirdre told me next.

"Thank the lord. I never saw any keys like that. I don't even know what the key looks like, so I couldn't have really taken it," I said. "Is that all you found?"

"No. There was final piece of evidence in the bush that we came across during our investigation. However, its helpfulness is a bit... How do I put this...? It's a bit less sure to be helpful," Chrysalis frowned. "We found a small piece of white hair, but not just any white hair... Fake white hair from a wig."

"A wig? That's weird. I don't think I saw a wig at the scene of the crime when I found it," I frowned. "Did you find anything else to do with a wig?"

"Sadly, no. The only piece of the wig that we found was inside of the bush. The hair was bright white as Chrysalis mentioned, which means that it would easily stick out at the crime scene or if it was on anyone's head. Unfortunately for us, we haven't come across anybody at the prison with white hair. Detective Erikson doesn't know of anybody either, which means that there's not much we can do with it as of now. No DNA was found in the hair either, which means that it's pretty much just sitting in our evidence stack until we can figure out how it connects into the larger puzzle that is this case," Deirdre told me.

"That's not good. The less that you guys have figured out, the less secure my fate is. I know that you guys will fight to the end, but... You know, it's still hard knowing that there's a chance the prosecution could win out and get me a guilty verdict," I frowned, my eyes falling down to the ground. I had been trying to avoid such dismal thoughts, but at times, it just felt unavoidable. I mean, how could you keep the negativity away in a situation like this? One trial would decide my fate once and for all. If I was found guilty, I'd be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty. Venus would be mad that I joined her so soon. Plus, Cassidy and my mother would be upset that I died early on or ended up in jail... God, this was so stressful! I just wanted this whole incident to end already!

"We'll be able to get you a not guilty verdict for sure," Deirdre assured me. "We promise you that much. You'll be home tomorrow without a doubt."

"Thanks... I'm glad that you guys are so confident in me," I smiled, though I was sure that they could tell a well as I could that it was more than a little forced.

"We're going to head out to look over the details of the case one last time before the trial," Chrysalis told me. "You try and get some sleep tonight, okay? I don't want you tired during the trial tomorrow. I know that you were exhausted when everything was going on during today's proceedings."

"Alright. I'll see you guys later," I said. I rose to my feet and waved as I was escorted back to my room by the guard. Sleeping was much easier said than done in this sort of environment... Man, the things I wouldn't do to be home in my own bed for the first time in a few days. I didn't know how much I loved it until I no longer had access to it and was stuck in this crappy little detention center.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about how long this one took. I was babysitting quite a lot over break, so I didn't have much time for copying, pasting, and formatting. 
> 
> As for good news, I'll be able to come out with a few other things soon! After this current case ends, I'm going to post a few short stories of mine from time to time. I'll probably start with Fire Emblem and then go to Octopath Traveler. We'll have to see when this case finishes in three chapters. 
> 
> Also, happy new year to all of you! I hope you had a nice holiday season and that you enjoyed today's update!
> 
> -Digital


	13. Turnabout Breakdown, Part 8

**March 15**

**9:35 AM**

**Defendant Lobby No. 2**

**Chrysalis Starr**

The next morning when I arrived at the courthouse, the defendant lobby was halfway full. I was surprised to see so many people there. Normally, people stay out of murder cases unless they're related to it somehow, it interests them, or they're doing research. The courtroom hadn't been this full yesterday, so I couldn't help but wonder about what could have drawn so many people to a simple murder like this one... It was going to be solved in a matter of hours...

Lucky for me, it appeared that I didn't need to wait long to find out. Cotoli, who had come with me to the trial, was on his phone. "It looks like the media finally got a hold of the message to Oracle written in blood," he frowned to me. "All sorts of reporters are jumping to the case to see if any important information about Oracle ends up being revealed in the trial. They think that Oracle will have to show up if their title is written in blood at the scene of the murder."

I let out a sigh. "Of course it's Oracle. Can't people just shut up about them for five minutes? We get it. There's a spy in our humble little city. Okay. But you don't need to talk about it every second of the day," I said irritably. "Don't they understand how dangerous it is? Involving herself in it got Venus killed. I don't want to see anybody else, especially not innocent people, killed because they know something about this stupid anonymous spy haunting us..."

"I suppose that they can't help but come to see what it's all about. Everybody thought that the Oracle case had died down and wouldn't be solved after the public appearance and subsequent disappearance of Oracle in the trial last year for Jackson Blocker's murder," Cotoli sighed with a shake of his head. "Ever since, all that's been revealed have been proven to be rumors... People claim to know who it is only for their accusations to be shot down instantly."

"That's normal for reporters, I guess... They're buzzing for the next scoop. For once, it's something a bit more local as opposed to big time celebrities or something, which means that the everyday person can relate to it. That doesn't mean I like it much though. It's still annoying and gets on my last nerve. They live blissfully unaware of the danger that comes with Oracle. Every single time they show up, without fail, it's to just cause more trouble," I huffed.

"So, you guys saw the news report too?"

Cotoli and I turned upon hearing the voice of Lily. Today, she was wearing something different from her usual attire, and I had to say, it looked rather nice on her. She had a red dress on with puffed out white sleeves that went down to her wrists. She had black knee-high boots on. A red rose was perched in her hair. The locket and attorney's badge were the same. I couldn't see her Magatama though, so I assumed that it was in her purse or something similar.

"Hey, Lily," I greeted. "You look sweet today. What's the special occasion?"

"There isn't one. I just decided to dress a bit differently for today. Might make it a permanent staple of my wardrobe," Lily shrugged. "Anyways, the news report... I take it that you guys saw it? The one that talked about the message written in blood at the crime scene pertaining to Oracle?"

"Yeah. It's all over TV and social media... The people think that Oracle will make another public appearance at this trial since their name is in blood at the scene of the murder," I sighed. "I don't get the hype behind Oracle. It would be best if they just never showed up again, if you ask me. All they do is stir up trouble. Sure, they do expose corruption, but the way they go about it... It really isn't the best method since it only puts people in danger at the end of the day."

"I can see where you're coming from," Lily nodded. "But I guess that we won't know if Oracle will show up until they do, if that even happens. Maybe they'll be in the gallery. I don't think they'd have been here yesterday since it's just now hitting all the news broadcasts, so we can just look for somebody who wasn't here yesterday... Then again, that's easier said than done. There are a lot of people here that weren't yesterday because of all the sudden buzz about Oracle."

"Guess we'll just have to deal with it until Oracle shows," Cotoli shrugged. "Anyways, where's Deirdre? She's supposed to be here by now... She's the lead attorney on this case, so if she's late, the verdict will likely be handed down against Yuri saying that she committed this murder."

"Speaking of Yuri, she's not here either. I'm sure that they'll show soon, but that doesn't help the fact that the trial starts in 25 minutes and neither one is here," I murmured with a shake of my head. "I'm not exactly qualified to go up there and defend Yuri by myself. I can't do it without Deirdre... Then again, I can't really defend Yuri if she's not even here... Pretty sure that's some sort of twisted requirement that our legal system has about criminal trials."

"Here I am!"

As if on cue, Yuri came running up to us. Her bow was bouncing wildly, but she didn't seem to care. She waved and hunched over, her hands on her knees. "Man, you will never believe what I just went through... It was impossible to find a way in because of all this publicity. There are reporters outside the courthouse asking people about this trial because of Oracle," she told us between heavy breaths. "This is quite the amount of publicity..."

"That's probably why Deirdre is so late too," I said, frowning. "I can tell already that these reporters are going to be a lot more trouble than they're worth..."

"I didn't even realize she wasn't here... The whole way in, I was just assuming I'd be meeting up with her right off the bat," Yuri remarked. "Dang. This whole Oracle thing is really messing up our preparation time... Honestly, I'm surprised this lobby is so empty with all the people I saw outside at the doors."

"Really? When we first got here, it was nowhere near as busy as you're making it sound," I told her. "I guess that all sorts of people showed up after we came inside... Cotoli and I decided to get the jump start on the trial and come in a bit early to talk about the case with Deirdre, but that's not happening now."

"Maybe all the people that Yuri saw outside are in the prosecution lobby. You never know," Lily shrugged. "I guess we won't know until we can see the full gallery when the trial gets going. It might end up starting late because of the crowds... I just hope that we can get good seats to watch you and Deirdre."

"If we stay over by the door, we're sure to get a good place in the gallery," Cotoli said. "Maybe KJ will let us in early... He's a good kid, so he'd be glad to help us out. He's probably used to handling large crowds like this when a bunch of people come to watch any specific trial since he works here and all."

"What's this about me?"

KJ appeared beside me, making me gasp in shock and take a step back. KJ rubbed the back of his head and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry for scaring you."

"It's alright... Do you have anything to tell us about the trial?" I questioned. "Can we go in earlier than usual because of the crowds or something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I figured that you guys should get good places in the courtroom since you're related closely with the lawyer..." KJ said. "Speaking of the main lawyer, where is Ms. Brigit? Was she caught up in the crowds or something when trying to get in? I don't see her anywhere."

"We have no idea. We think that's what happened, but we can't say for sure until she shows up," I answered. "Will the trial be starting later because of her absence and the crowd? It wouldn't surprise me if the judge decided to push it back a little bit so that everything could clear up and calm down."

"I'm not entirely sure," KJ told me. "Sorry about that. Now, come on inside. I can get you guys the best seats in the house if you want them, which I suspect that you do. Better than having to put up with the inevitable crowd." He gestured for us to follow him as we approached the courtroom doors. He opened one up and allowed us to go inside. It was pretty much empty since nobody from the gallery had come in yet. Cotoli and Lily both trotted up the stairs to get seats in the front row behind the defense bench where I was supposed to be standing with Deirdre. Yuri took a seat in the defendant's chair near the defense bench.

"Thanks for this, KJ," I said with a bow of my head. "Now, if only we knew where Deirdre was... We'd be able to start our preparations for the trial."

Not long after these words left my lips, the doors to the courtroom opened fully. Onlookers flooded the gallery to take their spots to watch. The room seemed to get warmer instantly because of all the new bodies that were now in the room. I could only pray that the air conditioner would keep me from going crazy before this trial came to a close... I knew how warm the courtrooms could get in the summer, so the crowd would make it that warm for sure because of all the body heat.

A familiar face came in with the crowds. None other than Deirdre managed to break through, holding her evidence bag close to her chest as she darted to the defense bench to stand beside me. I could tell that she was a bit stressed because of the few sweat drops that had formed on her forehead.

"What took you so long?" I asked, though I already knew the answer before I even spoke the words.

"The crowd surrounding the courthouse was rather thick. It took me a while to push through and even reach the lobby. When I arrived, the doors had just opened, so I was able to get in," Deirdre explained. She opened up the evidence bag and began to pull papers out of it that we'd surely need for the case.

"I figured that was it," I sighed. "It's a bit hard to get through with so many people trying to get into the courthouse for this trial. The Oracle news hit the public this morning, so it's been all over TV and stuff like that. I wish that the reporters would hold off for a second though... It's a bit irritating to deal with them all."

"We won't have a moment to prepare now," Deirdre sighed. "It's unfortunate, but it's the truth. We'll just have to go into this with our gut instincts..."

Polly and Anton took their places on the opposite side of the courtroom. I looked up and gulped to myself. This wasn't going to be fun at all, that was for sure...

**March 15**

**10:00 AM**

**Courtroom No. 2**

**Chrysalis Starr**

My heart was racing from nerves when the judge took his place at the front of the courtroom. Just like yesterday, it was none other than Judge Frost. He banged his gavel a few times to get the gallery to quiet down, though it took a while before all the chatter truly dissipated. I felt bad for him, having to get all these people to shut it before trials...

"Court is now in session for the trial of Yuri Rinko. Are the defense and prosecution ready?" the judge questioned.

"The prosecution is ready," Polly smirked. She looked to be on top of the world today, which I knew wasn't a good sign at all. Internally, I prayed that she was excited because Yuri would be going free. I mean, if Yuri went free, Cotoli would be happy with her, which would mean hugs and kisses for her.

"The defense is also ready," Deirdre declared. By some miracle, she had managed to set up all of her evidence and reports. Man, she sure was fast about it.

"The gallery seems to be a bit more full than usual," the judge remarked. "Why is that? There weren't this many people yesterday during the trial."

"It's likely because of the news that hit the reporters this morning," Polly began. "The public finally heard about the message in blood found at the scene of the c crime talking about Oracle. Now, we're in this situation with all sorts of people above me in the gallery... If they want to stay, though, they'll need to be quiet when anybody is talking. I don't want this trial to end in chaos because of all the people talking constantly and not keeping quiet when they should be."

"I agree. This trial will only be able to progress smoothly if the gallery remains silent a majority of the time," Judge Frost announced. "Yesterday, I dismissed this trial for a phase of investigation. I trust that both sides conducted a thorough investigation during the extra time that was given."

"Yes. During our investigation yesterday, my partner and I came across three crucial pieces of evidence. We found a key, the one that went missing, the gun, which was proven to be the murder weapon, and a small chunk of white hair. All three went through forensics and the test results came back as well, which means that we're going to be able to use all of them in today's proceedings," Deirdre told him. "Did you get a copy of the results already?"

"I did, as a matter of fact," Judge Frost nodded. "What about the prosecution? Did you find anything of importance, Prosecutor Burke?"

"No. I was looking for the gun elsewhere while the defense was out in the courtyard, which is where it was found," Polly told him with a frown. "I'll give a brief summary of the results we received from the forensics analysis before calling in my first witness of the day, one Ulysses Kyllar, who was mentioned already."

"Go right ahead," Judge Frost instructed of Polly. "I want to get onto the first witness as soon as possible, if that's alright with you all."

Polly nodded before looking to Anton, who pulled up a small paper and handed it to her. He had his regular orange blanket draped over his shoulders, the one with yellow spots here and there. I had seen him with it countless times. He looked absolutely precious when he was wearing it, I had to admit.

"The gun is the same model used by prison guards in our local prison," Polly began to say. "No fingerprints were lifted from it, but we did find out that the ballistic markings from the gun match the bullets that were found in the corpse of our victim. As for the key, it's the one that leads out to the courtyard from inside that is only given to the highest-ranking guards. The fingerprints of Ulysses Kyllar were found on its surface, which is no surprise because he's the one who owns this key when it isn't being used as evidence in a murder trial. As for the hair, no DNA could be lifted from it due to the fact that it is not real hair. It instead comes from sort of wig, but no wig of this nature was found at the scene of the murder, which means that we can't use that as evidence today."

"Thank you, Prosecutor Burke," Judge Frost said with a small nod in her direction. "Now, Ms. Brigit, do you have anything to say about her synopsis?"

Deirdre nodded. "Because her prints were not found on the key or the murder weapon, we can take this as evidence that my client did not commit this crime. It was somebody else who shot the victim and suspended his body the morning that this terrible crime took place," she told him with a small smirk.

"I must agree. No gloves were found in the prison that could have been used by our client, which means that she couldn't have killed the victim," I piped in. Normally, the defense assistant in trials didn't speak up often, but I was going to give my input as much as possible today. I wanted to get Yuri home as soon as possible since I knew that Ms. Rinko and Cassidy would be worried. Cassidy always tended to panic easily, a trait she inherited from her mother. I didn't like seeing Cass upset, so I figured that it would be for the best if I broke the mold to help Yuri out however I could. I was sure Judge Frost wouldn't mind it.

"Instead of listening to the defense talk on and on, perhaps I should go on and call my first witness of the day," Polly suggested. "Do you have any problems with that, Your Honor? Like I said before, it's the one and only Ulysses Kyllar who was brought up during yesterday's session of the trial."

"I'd be okay with you calling him," Judge Frost responded. "Does he know anything important about the crime that took place?"

"You'll be able to see once he starts his testimony. Kyllar!" Polly cried sharply. Mr. Kyllar, who was sitting on the witness' bench next to the prosecution, rose to his feet. He didn't look particularly happy, but then again, it's not like he ever did. He preferred being grumpy and messing up my name repeatedly.

"Witness, please state your name and occupation," Judge Frost instructed of him. "It's just for a recap and to follow regular procedures."

Mr. Kyllar let out a sigh and rolled his eyes to himself. "Ulysses Kyllar. Prison guard," he said flatly. "How long will I need to be here talking about random stuff?"

"Until we're finished with our cross-examinations," Deirdre told him. "What is it that you're going to be testifying about, Mr. Kyllar?"

"Tell the court about the gun and key, witness," Polly demanded. "Throw in your metal detection results in there too for the sake of coverage."

"Alright," Mr. Kyllar sighed. "I'm just doing this to get out of here as soon as possible... God, I hate courtrooms..."

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Gun and Key ~**

_\- "The gun and key were found at the prison out in the courtyard inside a bush for some reason."_

_\- "I did a metal detection sweep of the area but didn't find anything the day the body was found."_

_\- "Gun is the same type used around the prison. Don't know whose it is, though. The identification number was gone."_

_\- "For all you simple folk, the identification number is found on a sticker on the handle of the gun."_

_\- "This gun didn't have it, so somebody must have pried the thing off for whatever reason they may have had."_

_\- "As for the key, it's mine, but it went missing before the murder took place."_

_\- "Don't get why I'm the one telling you guys about all this though. I don't have anything to do with the damn murder..."_

"Identification number?" I heard Deirdre say. "I never heard anything about an identification number from Detective Erikson or Ms. Rell yesterday."

"We didn't get information about it until we spoke to the witness yesterday after you two had gone home," Polly told her. "He said that he didn't want to tell you guys about the identification numbers since a certain 'Christie' was mean to him while you two were looking around. Does that sound familiar?"

"Can he at least try to get my name right?" I couldn't help but mutter. It was like he wasn't even making an attempt to figure out my name, and it was getting frustrated quickly as you might imagine.

"The point is, you have more information now. The identification number is mentioned in the testimony, so you can use that how you will," Polly said.

"I believe that it's time for the defense to begin its cross-examination," Judge Frost said. "Does the defense object to this at all?"

Deirdre shook her head. "No, not a bit. I'll get right to it," she assured him before gesturing to Mr. Kyllar to repeat his testimony one more time.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Gun and Key ~**

_\- "The gun and key were found at the prison out in the courtyard inside a bush for some reason."_

_\- "I did a metal detection sweep of the area but didn't find anything the day the body was found."_

_\- "Gun is the same type used around the prison. Don't know whose it is, though. The identification number was gone."_

_\- "For all you simple folk, the identification number is found on a sticker on the handle of the gun."_

_\- "This gun didn't have it, so somebody must have pried the thing off for whatever reason they may have had."_

_\- "As for the key, it's mine, but it went missing before the murder took place."_

_\- "Don't get why I'm the one telling you guys about all this though. I don't have anything to do with the damn murder..."_

"Objection!"

"I'm afraid, Mr. Kyllar, that you won't be able to escape the courtroom by saying that. During yesterday's investigation, my partner and I spoke briefly about who we thought could be the real killer behind this case. Since we already determined that our client could not have killed the victim, we had to look at other possibilities, and in our search, we found a few things that pointed to the one who did this," Deirdre began to say. I could see her smirking as she spoke.

"And how the hell does that have anything to do with me, Daydream?" Mr. Kyllar asked. I could see Deirdre's face flicker to confusion and frustration for a moment after his mistake about her name. I couldn't blame her. I was getting more and more irritated with it as the minutes crawled on.

"We think that you might be involved in this case in some manner," I piped up. "After we explain our reasoning, I'm sure that everybody else in the courtroom will agree with us that something about this witness doesn't seem to add up. By the time that we're done, you should understand what we do."

"Bragging isn't going to get you anywhere in life, kiddo," Mr. Kyllar scoffed. "Why don't you just shut it for a second and let the adults talk about this stuff?"

I chose to ignore him. I took a deep breath before speaking once more. "Alright, Deirdre. Go on and tell him about what we found out," I instructed.

Deirdre nodded to indicate that she was ready to begin. "Okay. Here we go... It all kicks off with the key that supposedly went missing. The witness says that the defendant took it from him the day before the murder occurred," she declared.

"Because she did," Mr. Kyllar told her, something akin to a glare in his eyes. "What about it? Are you going to say I've been lying this entire time or something?"

"You're right, as a matter of fact," Deirdre nodded. "The key that went missing was found as we have said, but it wasn't found just anywhere. It was found out in the courtyard where this witness is said to have done a metal detection sweep. However, he didn't find it. If you ask me, that's because he hid the fact that it was out there by either skipping over the area during his sweep of the area or denying that he got any results from that area.

"Anyone can say that this is just coincidence, however. I have a few other pieces of evidence to show that he must have committed this crime. The key that was found only had his fingerprints on it. Since my client's prints are not on the surface of the key, she couldn't have handled it the day of the murder. Plus, if you'll notice, a piece of his uniform's sleeve has torn. A patch used to cover holes and tears in the prison uniforms was found at the scene of the murder. If that patch was used to cover up the damaged area on his sleeve, then that puts him at the scene. I can't think of any other way that the fabric patch would be out there if he wasn't there, committing the crime, just like we suspect," Deirdre continued. "If it was torn off when he was committing the crime, that would make a lot of sense. Plus, we had our witness from yesterday, Pandora Rell, test to see whose names would fit the gap that was cut out of the sheet that told us of who had used the power box in the courtyard recently. His name happened to fit the gap. With all those pieces of evidence, it seems clear to me that either this witness, Mr. Ulysses Kyllar, committed the crime, or has a lot of explaining to do to say how he didn't do it. I personally believe it to be the former, wouldn't you agree?"

"I must say, all that evidence comes off as incredibly incriminating towards this witness... How does the witness respond to this accusation? It seems rather close to an indictment for murder," Judge Frost said solemnly. I could tell that he was contemplating the severity of Deirdre's words internally.

"It's a bunch of crap," Mr. Kyllar responded. He was glaring angrily at Deirdre now. After all that she had said, I could see why he was angry. I got the feeling that Deirdre was right about all of this, about the culprit being Mr. Kyllar. His open hostility towards us would only make sense that way, wouldn't you agree?

"Do you have any evidence of this, witness?" Deirdre asked. It was easy to see that she was doing her best to suppress a smirk. Victory was in sight now, which meant that we'd be able to let Yuri go home since she'd no longer be a suspect for murder. "Unless you have evidence, I'm afraid that we won't be able to accept your words. In court, evidence is everything. Without it, nothing can truly be proven. I'm sure you are aware of this, though."

"Objection!"

"You're saying that evidence is everything, and yet you have nothing conclusively to show that this witness is the one who killed the victim. You could end up sending an innocent man to jail because you're so sure of garbage like this, you know. I'm sure that you don't want that," Polly cut in. "Until you can display something that shows us surely that the witness is the one who killed the victim, then we're going to have to say that your words are mere conjecture."

"All of this is far too perfect to be mere coincidence, Prosecutor Burke," Deirdre told her. "We're not going to be able to go along with the idea that it's coincidence with all of this adding up so well. However, I think that we won't know for sure until we have the witness try to defend himself."

"I agree," Judge Frost nodded. "Mr. Kyllar, please offer your testimony to this court about what you think on the matter of your potentially being the killer. Lies will not be tolerated, I hope you know. I won't allow you to spout nonsense and claim it to be the truth. Do you understand?"

"Fine," Mr. Kyllar muttered with a roll of his eyes. I knew that he was irritated because we were cornering him. It was just a matter of time at this point until this trial came to a close. And once it did, Yuri would be home and the Oracle mess would have calmed down for a while. That was all I wanted at that moment, let me tell you.

"Then go on and begin your testimony, Mr. Kyllar," Judge Frost told him. "Tell us about your innocence in this murder and your thoughts and ideas regarding the accusation of the defense. After you're finished, the cross-examination will begin."

"I just hope that this ends soon. I have better things to do than listen to everybody in this courtroom blab on and on about a 'real killer' who may or may not exist," Mr. Kyllar said to himself before beginning his testimony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are again. 
> 
> For what feels like the twentieth time in a row, I don't have much of an author's note to post here, so I'm just going to disappear for now. I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Digital


	14. Turnabout Breakdown, Part 9

**March 15**

**Courtroom No. 2**

**10:35 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ I'm Not the Killer ~**

_\- "All of your claims that I'm the killer are absolutely ridiculous."_

_\- "What sort of motive would I have to kill the victim in this case? It makes no sense!"_

_\- "Everything that you've said could easily be dismissed as mere coincidence and you know it. It's not conclusive."_

_\- "Until you can give me something that shows for sure that I killed that guy, you can't throw me in jail."_

_\- "What are you going to do, link me to the crime scene with some circumstantial evidence?"_

_\- "You're all pathetic for thinking that I could really be the killer."_

_\- "I've got nothing to do with the killer and you can't prove otherwise."_

"He sure is insistent that he isn't the culprit," I heard Chrysalis mutter with a shake of her head. "Everything that you've said up until this point makes it clear that he's the one who killed the victim. I don't see any other solution, and yet, he's denying it like there's no tomorrow. All we need is a bit of proof..."

"I'm sure that we have it something in our evidence collection that shows he killed the victim," I told her. "It's just a matter of figuring out what it is... After we determine the piece of evidence that proves he was really there the night of the murder, we can show that he's the one and only killer in this case."

"Go on and start your damn cross-examination already," Mr. Kyllar huffed. "I have better things to do than listen to you two talk constantly about how I must be the one who killed the victim without any evidence. This is why I hate you lawyer types... You never know when the time comes to roll over and quit."

"While I don't agree with the witness' harsh words, I do agree that it's time to start the cross-examination," Judge Frost declared. "Go right ahead, Ms. Brigit."

I nodded. "I'll be right on it, Your Honor," I responded. I had an idea of how I wanted to take things, but I wasn't positive it would lead to anything conclusive. However, it didn't hurt to try, so I decided to take something of a logical gambit to see where it would take me at the end of the cross-examination...

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ I'm Not the Killer ~**

_\- "All of your claims that I'm the killer are absolutely ridiculous."_

_\- "What sort of motive would I have to kill the victim in this case? It makes no sense!"_

_\- "Everything that you've said could easily be dismissed as mere coincidence and you know it. It's not conclusive."_

_\- "Until you can give me something that shows for sure that I killed that guy, you can't throw me in jail."_

_\- "What are you going to do, link me to the crime scene with some circumstantial evidence?"_

_\- "You're all pathetic for thinking that I could really be the killer."_

_\- "I've got nothing to do with the killer and you can't prove otherwise."_

"Hold it!"

"I do have one question for you regarding the pieces of evidence that we found yesterday out in the courtyard," I mused. I actually had questions about all three, but I wanted to take it one step at a time to keep him from getting too outrageously angry with me. "Do you think you'd be able to answer it for me?"

"If it'll get me out of here sooner, anything," Mr. Kyllar grunted. "What is it that you want to know, Dollie?"

I cringed internally at his butchering of my name (which I was positive was intentional by this point) and sighed. "I want to know about the gun that was found at the scene of the murder," I told him. "More specifically, I want to know more about the identification numbers that you mentioned previously."

"Fine," Mr. Kyllar said. "The identification numbers are found in small stickers on each gun's handle. The one at the crime scene didn't have a sticker since it had been peeled away. Right now, the people at the prison are trying to figure out whose gun it was based on whichever gun is missing based on identification number. Since there are so many, we haven't been able to figure it out yet. Every single guard has a gun, you know. It takes time to go through them all."

"What of your gun?" I asked next. "Do you still have your gun on you or not? I noticed while we were looking through the prison yesterday that most guards we passed by did in fact have some sort of gun on their person, but you didn't seem to have one. Is there any particular reason for that, Mr. Kyllar?"

I could see his shoulders grow tense. "Why do you care? It doesn't have anything to do with the guy who died," he told me gruffly. I could tell that he was lying due to the discord that had appeared prominently in his voice. There was no way that he could worm his way out of things now.

"I beg to differ. Somehow, I get the feeling that this gun bears much more importance on this case than you're giving it credit for. If we can find the owner of the gun, we'll be that much closer to finding the killer. You don't seem to want to answer my question about the gun, which definitely makes you look suspicious," I told him, my eyes narrowing. "Tell me. Is your gun the one that was used to kill the victim or not, Mr. Kyllar?"

"And before you even try it, you can't say that Yuri took the gun. From yesterday, we already learned that your testimony is flaky and unreliable at best," Chrysalis told him. "I'm sure you remember telling us that you keep the same key that was supposedly stolen by the defendant locked away in your office where nobody besides you can reach it. You can't brush this under the rug by running away like you did before since, at the moment, you're under oath, aren't you?"

"What is this about, defense?" Judge Frost, taken aback by Chrysalis' statement. I took it that he hadn't heard anything about this, but I couldn't fault him for it. Nobody had heard about it outside of Chrysalis and me since we were the only ones present when he was interrogated by the former. "A flaky an unreliable testimony? I never heard anything of the sort regarding the witness until you brought it up just now. Is this perhaps from your investigation?"

"Please explain," Prosecutor Burke instructed through gritted teeth. "I didn't hear about it either." I saw her shoot a look at Chrysalis, who just shrugged it off.

"Yesterday, we spoke with Mr. Kyllar about the murder case. We asked him about how the key was supposedly taken by the defendant the day before the murder, but when pressed, his statements had holes in them. I figured that it was because he was lying. Not long after, I learned that he keeps his key to the courtyard in his office, locked in there, mind you. The defendant could not possibly have gotten in there to get the key if it was really locked. Even if he says it isn't locked, I doubt a young girl with no experience of the prison layout would be able to sneak inside and pick up the key. The defendant could not possibly have taken the key, which means that she could not have gotten out to the courtyard. If we take it one step further, we come to the conclusion that the defendant could not have committed the crime," Chrysalis smirked. "Now, let's look at the gun that we were discussing a moment ago. Mr. Kyllar's testimony has already been shown to be unreliable, so who's to say that he's not lying about this too? Maybe the murder weapon is his gun. That would make him either the killer or someone with close ties to our culprit here. Somehow, I doubt that it's the latter, if you know what I'm saying here."

"You think he's lying because he's the killer," Judge Frost concluded. "Admittedly, I can see where you're coming from. He said that he had nothing to do with the crime, but his link to the key proves that to be a lie. And if the gun used to kill the victim belonged to him, then that means that he's a certain suspect."

"Objection!"

"We can't go saying is the killer quite yet. After all, we don't know if it was his gun used to kill the victim. Even if it was, that doesn't say conclusively that he's the one who did it. Someone could have easily stolen his gun and used it in this murder. I doubt that a prison guard would leave his gun in his office, which means that someone could have easily taken it off his person when he wasn't paying attention," Prosecutor Burke cut in. "What do you have to say to that?"

"Objection!"

"I highly doubt that someone could take a gun out of its holder, especially when the gun is on the body of a highly trained prison guard. The gun would be nearly impossible to take. If the gun belongs to him, he must have committed this murder. If he's as professional a guard as he seems, having made his way up this far in the ranks of the prison, he's definitely worth his salt and wouldn't allow a gun to be taken from him that way. He surely would have noticed," I responded. "If we assume that the murder weapon belongs to him, we also have to assume that he's the one who killed the victim that fateful morning."

"Even so, you can't exactly prove that my gun is the one that was used in the murder, now can you?" smirked Mr. Kyllar. "The results won't be done for quite some time, likely not until the trial is over and done with. Unless the judge decides to postpone the trial another day, which I highly doubt he will, the defendant's fate is as good as written in stone. Her life might as well be over. She'll spend the rest of her days toiling away in prison as a convicted murderer."

"We won't be able to use the gun to our advantage quite yet, so we need to find another way to strike at him," Chrysalis said. "If we pick a piece of evidence, one of the three that we found at the scene of the murder, we should be able to figure something out. The gun is out, which leaves just the key and piece of hair... One of those has to lead us to him. But how to use it...? You can pick which one we take a look at. I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

"No pressure," I couldn't help but mutter. My heart raced in my chest as I looked down at a piece of paper detailing the key and piece of hair. The key had already been discussed at great length, which left just the key to be examined. I picked up the sheet of paper and began reading it over. After going through all the information the sheet contained, I came up with nothing. A frown appeared on my face. There had to be something, but what was it? What was I missing?

"I think that it's something to do with the hair, but what could it be?" I asked Chrysalis in a hurried whisper. "Do you have any ideas as to what it could be?"

Chrysalis placed her hand on her chin for a moment and stared at Mr. Kyllar before her eyes widened slightly. "I think I might have an idea, but I can't say for sure... Take a look at Mr. Kyllar. What's one thing that you notice about him? I'm talking about physical appearance here," she said to me.

I did as she told me and looked at Mr. Kyllar. He was wearing the regular prison uniform. There was a damaged part of his uniform, the sleeve, which I was sure was there because of the murder, potentially him struggling with the victim when the crime was committed. He had his hat low over his eyes to the point that one of them wasn't even visible. I couldn't see any of his hair though, so I wasn't even sure if he had hair. His visible eyebrow was brown though.

I looked down for a moment and began to think a bit more intensely. The piece of evidence that I had chosen to look into with a more critical eye was the small section of hair. We knew that it was a wig since it didn't have any DNA on it. There unfortunately weren't any strands that had come off from the user's head in the clump that we had found. Because of that, I figured that it had to be from the bottom of the wig, away from the user's head. That was the only option.

The hair was a bit uneven as well, as if it had been cut off roughly. I took another look at the crime scene photo and saw that Mr. Guiy had been holding a shard of glass in his hand when he died. It was sharp enough to cut his hand, which meant that it would easily be sharp enough to cut hair. Perhaps that was where our little clump had come from. It was cut off during the struggle between the victim and his killer. The victim used the glass shard to cut the segment of hair off, maybe while trying to injure the killer trying to kill him. Plus, it would leave behind proof of who the killer really was if he did it.

So the hair was cut off during the struggle between the victim and the killer during the struggle. The killer was definitely wearing the wig when the crime took place, but one had to wonder why that was. Why not just go with their regular hair? It's not like the victim was going to survive long enough to tell anyone about the hair color of the killer in that sort of situation. The victim was already doomed by that point in time. Perhaps, however, there was another explanation for it... Maybe it had something to do with Mr. Kyllar's hair, which hadn't been seen at all by Chrysalis nor me this entire case. If that was it...

The wig had to belong to Mr. Kyllar. His eyebrows were brown. That didn't match up with white, which meant it was the perfect disguise. Everybody around the prison would know him as having brown hair, so nobody would look his way twice if white hair was found at the scene of the murder. Plus, he ended up being able to use it to his advantage to frame Yuri later on. We hadn't seen his hair at all, which could only mean one thing, and now I knew what it was...

"The wig is on Mr. Kyllar right now!" I cried out once I had snapped from my daze. "Mr. Kyllar is wearing the white wig that this hair came from!"

"Who would be stupid enough to hide a wig on their person if part of the hair was found at the scene of a murder?" snorted Mr. Kyllar. "That has got to be the most ridiculous thing that I've heard in my entire life, and during this trial, I've heard a lot of pretty damn stupid things, I'll have you know."

"Your hair has been hiding beneath your hat this entire case, Mr. Kyllar. Your eyebrows appear to be brown, which would make it the perfect cover. The people working at the prison would know your hair color as brown and not suspect you owning the white hair, which was later shown to be a wig. Any new investigators would see your brown eyebrows and understand that you don't have white hair and couldn't have possibly committed this murder. You were using that wig to frame my client, who happened to have white tips to her black hair," I declared. "I'm afraid that the jig is up now though. You have no choice but to confess."

"If you really don't have anything to hide, why don't you go right ahead and take that wig off, Mr. Kyllar?" Chrysalis asked. "It's simple enough. If you remove your hat and there's no wig, we won't have any reason to suspect you on this line of logic. However, if you keep on resisting, it will become even more painfully clear that you're the one who killed our victim in this case. If you need us to, we can go on and explain how we believe the crime took place. Will that help you come out of your shell and admit that you're a murderer? Even if it doesn't we'll all know the truth fully well, so you won't need to confess, will you?"

"I won't accept this unless you explain why I must be the killer," Mr. Kyllar said, anger flashing in his eyes. "You had better explain it, you stupid lawyers. I didn't do it, which you'll see soon enough when you slip up in your explanation."

"I'll get right to things then. The morning of the murder, you snuck out to the courtyard and got into the power box using your key, which was in your possession and not in the hands of the defendant. You unlocked it using the password and fingerprints. You turned the power off before heading off to the room where the report was printed. You cut your name out of the sheet, leaving only a hole behind. After that, you did one of two things. You either returned to help the victim out of his cell or he got out on his own when he realized the power was out. I assume that it was the former due to the fact that he wouldn't have come out to the courtyard otherwise. Plus, I highly doubt he could have gone by undetected without the help of a guard," I began to explain.

"This is stupid," Mr. Kyllar scoffed. "I had no reason to kill him. You're just pulling a bunch of crap out of nowhere at this point. Why don't you just shut up and let the adults handle this murder case, Daisy? Don't you have to go play dolls or something? Let your mommy fix you a snack, kiddo?"

I glared at him, angered at this words about a 'mommy'. I swallowed it back and continued my summary. "In the time that followed, Ms. Rell went out to the courtyard to turn the power back on after you turned it off. You shot at the victim using your gun. It went through the window near the courtyard and struck him in the leg. That shattered the window and put the victim in an injured state. Glass got all over the courtyard because you shot at him from inside," I continued to say. "Next, you went out to the courtyard to finish the victim off, but you struggled quite a bit. A piece of your sleeve was torn off, specifically a fabric patch from a previous incident involving your uniform being damaged. The patch was left at the scene of the murder. A piece of the white wig you were wearing was also found there, likely cut off by the piece of glass from the window found in the victim's hand when the body was discovered by the police.

"You shot him in the heart and killed him. Afterwards, you got to work in setting up the crime scene. You took the victim's body up to the prison tower and suspended it from the handrail that surrounded the upper area of the watchtower that was used by guards to look over the courtyard. You cleared the gun of your prints and tossed it into a nearby bush after tearing off the identification sticker. The key, covered in your prints, was also found there inside the bush. The piece of white hair was left to frame the defendant, who had white on the tips of her hair," I went on. "You also opened the power box, but only the password section, to make it look like someone had gotten into it recently. Finally, you wrote in blood a message to the one and only Oracle of the Law."

"Why would I want to do all that?" I heard Mr. Kyllar ask. "You're stupid for really thinking I'd go this far without a concrete motive in mind."

"Maybe you did have a motive, but we just don't get it yet," I suggested. "The message in blood at the scene of the murder obviously had a reason for being there. You wouldn't have left it there if there wasn't a purpose behind it. Plus, if your only defense is that you don't have a motive that we know of, that means that it's your only source of defense at this point. There is nothing else you can say to keep us from accusing you of this murder, so you're bringing it up."

"Unless you can give me a motive, I'm not accepting any of this crap!" came a yell from Mr. Kyllar. "Without a motive, nothing you say matters in putting me behind bars! You don't even know if I did it or not! It's all just damn speculation! Without a motive or some real proof, you can't convict me of anything, lady!"

Chrysalis looked up with a frown. "Your motive has to do with the message at the scene of the murder, doesn't it?" she asked. "The note to Oracle. It was a threat that Oracle wasn't going to be around for much longer. Let's think of it like this... The trial last year had Oracle appearing publicly. Nobody knew it was Oracle until the killer exposed them and slit their wrists in front of everyone. You knew that it had to be somebody close to Venus Rinko, as was shown during her murder last month since she was an accomplice. After thinking it over, you thought that it was her youngest sister, Yuri. If she wasn't the one, she at least had something to do with it. You wanted to get her behind bars for this murder, which you thought was foolproof so that you could execute her for being Oracle. Does that sound about right, Mr. Kyllar? Or perhaps did you have something else in mind when you were killing the victim?"

Mr. Kyllar was growing increasingly angry at this point. He glared at Chrysalis and looked ready to storm over to her and slap her. "You're just a stupid little kid! You don't understand anything to do with Oracle! You can shut up and go on about your normal life like all stupid kids should!" he yelled out.

"I'm afraid I can't do that at the moment. Not until you confess. I know a lot more about Oracle than you realize, so perhaps you should give it up and confess to your crimes already, Mr. Kyllar," Chrysalis said. "How about it? You might as well get it all over with."

Seeming to have his motive exposed, Mr. Kyllar began to growl. It increased in volume slowly before he was screaming out as loud as what seemed to be humanly possible. He ripped his hat off and began to try to tear at it. Eventually, he came across a loose thread and pulled on it harshly. Slowly, the hat came unwound, leaving only the shell of it behind. What remained fell to the ground with a light  _thud_. His white hair, or more accurately, his white wig was seen clearly by all. There was no way that he could escape his lies now. This breakdown made it perfectly obvious that he was our killer in this case.

"You don't have any damn proof! You don't! You don't! You don't! Nothing you can say will ever change that! It won't! It won't! It won't! You should just be quiet! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You're just spouting crap! It's crap! It's crap! It's crap! Oracle would never be the motive for murder! She wouldn't! She wouldn't! She wouldn't! You're all just stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I'm done with all of you and everything that you're saying! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I hate you all! I hate! I hate! I hate!" Mr. Kyllar yelled out. He began to try to rip at the thread from his hat with his teeth, pulling it in all sorts of odd ways. In a few places it snapped, sending one piece falling down to the podium in front of him. Once it seemed that the thread couldn't possibly be torn more, Mr. Kyllar gathered up all the pieces of thread in his hands. He threw them up into the air. As they fell, it appeared that they were showing the murder. It showed one person shooting the other and then suspending the body. The last piece showed a person being cut on the hands by another. "Damn you, Oracle! Damn you to heeeeeeeeeeell!"

Mr. Kyllar stared down at the ground. The threads from his hat had fallen to spell something. I read it and realized it was 'I'M THE KILLER'. This was a confession from him, as if his breakdown wasn't proof enough of this already. He wasn't even trying to squirm his way out of it now. It was obvious at this point.

Mr. Kyllar removed his wig and stared at it with a small smile. Underneath was his brown hair. He began to rip the wig into many tiny pieces before dropping them to the ground. "You probably think that this is all over, don't you?" he asked. He looked up and stared at me. "You'd be dead wrong. It isn't over yet."

"What are you saying?" Judge Frost asked, his eyes wide in fear. "You've been caught. What could you possibly have up your sleeve now? We all know."

"My name is not 'Ulysses Kyllar' as you think it is," the man said, his voice deadly serious. "It never was. I appeared two years ago with a purpose. I'm here to find out who Oracle is so that I can end her life once and for all. She's been nothing but a thorn in our side for years now. We've tried as hard as possible, but to no avail... But I suppose that it isn't all bad. I've learned a few things from this trial that I can't exactly deny.

"For one, the lawyers of Morix Law Offices are quite the interesting figures. You might actually be a match for us after all. You're a lot better than you appear to be," Mr. Kyllar went on. "Second, Oracle knows how to keep their mask on. I mean, I'm sure that you all thought this trial would end with a grand appearance from the one and only Oracle of the Law. I'm afraid that you'd be wrong. A grand appearance from Oracle can't happen when they're already in here."

The gallery burst into chatter above us. I frowned to myself. I had been hesitant to believe it at first, but he was probably right. If Oracle's name was written at the scene of the murder, it was inevitable that they'd come to see what it was all about. I just wondered how he could possibly know if Oracle was present...

"It was obvious that she'd be here. She's in the gallery somewhere now. I'm sure of it... To Oracle, I have just one thing to say, but I don't think I should be the one to tell it to you. The ones I'm working with should tell you about everything that we've been plotting," Mr. Kyllar declared. The gallery was attentive once more on him now that he had spoken again. "It'll be any second now that they show themselves... Just give it a second and you'll understand what I mean..."

The gallery continued to prattle on from up above. I wasn't listening. I was far too focused on what Mr. Kyllar was saying. Oracle was in the courtroom. Somewhere in the gallery was the legal spy that had been the talk of the city for two years. A person with that much influence on our admittedly twisted legal system was here, watching to see what was happening and why their name was at the scene of the murder. Oracle was  _here._  From the sound of it, Mr. Kyllar had a message for them, and it definitely wasn't a positive one.

I tried to think of what it could be, but I never got the chance, for a voice cut through my thoughts.

_"Greetings, Oracle."_


	15. Turnabout Breakdown, Part 10

**March 15**

**Courtroom No. 2**

**12:00 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

As soon as that voice rang out over the courthouse's intercom, I felt my shoulders go tense. We had already determined that Mr. Kyllar was the killer, but that wasn't the end of it. There was still more to come when it came to this case. Something about what was about to unfold left a knot of fear in my stomach...

"Just as all others in this room are aware, you are here today. You came to hear about your named being found in blood, aren't you? It's rather humorous how it works out. You came running to hear the truth behind this situation, but in the end, you only found trouble. My voice here is an indication of that.

"This is no coincidence at all. For two years now, we have wondered and wondered who you might be... But now, we are closer than ever. You are in this very room, simply waiting to be discovered and killed for theft of private information simply trying to show the truth to the world... Unfortunate. Most people who are supposedly good are met with tragedy before their graceful downfall... You're hoping for that now, aren't you? To end it all and eliminate the constant dread?

"Regardless of what you want, we are closer than ever before to achieving our goal of bringing you down. Your identity is soon to come to light whether you like it or not. No person can help you escape your fate now. Maybe you should just accept it... Then again, that would make things less fun for the five of us.

"Oh, but where are my manners? Allow me to introduce us. We are Occisor. Two years ago, we did something to you, did we not? A case known as GC-9, if I recall correctly. You had some connection to what happened and wanted revenge on the ones who made your life hell back then. And thus, Oracle was born... All it took was a little digging to find out that much. It's rather obvious given the time of your first appearance, slipped to the public by that lawyer. Jackson Blocker, his name was. Everybody figured it out once they put a bit of thought to it. We in Occisor were among the first to determine this logic and motive.

"Occisor was responsible for the murder of that factory woman two years ago, Natasha Morix. I'm sure you remember that. It was all over the news as a brutal incident of murders and attempted murders in the Sparx Factory near here. Occisor had just formed then. We needed to plot something to make our grand appearance with... Of course, that woman just had to appear and ruin everything. It didn't take long until the deed was done and witnesses were eliminated.

"Of course, all this ranting of mine means nothing, does it? What matters is that your blood is boiling at the mere thought of the ones who did this. Let it. Let your rage consume you until your execution comes... Give it a few months, Oracle. Everything in your little game will come to an end. You will take your final bow. The curtain will close at last on your bloodied corpse... Just thinking of it gets me excited, but that isn't important at the moment, is it?

"Ulysses Kyllar here is one of the ones in Occisor. We are dedicated to taking down the one who wants to eliminate us. This attempt may have failed, but you can never forget what has happened here today. Occisor will defeat you, Oracle. Just you wait. The last threat to our power is about to fall. Oracle is in this room now, but we can't eliminate them quite yet, can we? The killing will come soon enough though. The game will continue for now, if only for our enjoyment."

The courtroom, which had previously gone silent in terror, burst out into chatter as the intercom went off. I looked down at my hand and realized I was shaking.

Chrysalis looked up at Mr. Kyllar. The man pulled something from his pocket. I noticed that it was a smoke bomb. He pulled a small lighter out not long after and laughed. "Sweet dreams, everyone. As much as I have enjoyed this little gambit, I don't have much time to stick around. Occisor needs me, you see?" he asked before throwing the smoke ball down onto the floor. A cloud of fog billowed out from it, covering the entire courtroom. I tried to hold my breath, but I wasn't able to. I saw Mr. Kyllar run from the courtroom as I coughed, my lungs desperate to breathe in some air instead of the terrible smoke around me.

I felt my eyes getting droopy not long after. It wasn't from the coughing though. I wouldn't be this exhausted if it was just because of my breathing difficulties. No, I was sure that it was something inside of the smoke bomb that had just been set off. My knees went weak not long after, buckling beneath me. I let out a small cry of pain as I twisted my ankle on the way down, but I didn't get the chance to tend to my injury before the darkness came closing in. From beside me, I heard Chrysalis fall to the ground as well. My consciousness dissipated completely immediately after...

**March 15**

**Courtroom No. 2**

**12:45 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

When I finally awoke, my head was pounding. I wasn't sure how long I had been unconscious, but I didn't have time to dwell on that. I immediately detected blood in the air. I pushed myself up, immediately alert. Prosecutor Burke was coming to now as well, Anton clinging to her arm in fear. I could see him shaking even from where I was across the courtroom. I glanced around in a panic before realizing where the scent was coming from.

Just beside me, Chrysalis was still unconscious. I hadn't seen it before, but there was a bloodstain on the ground near her hand. I could see a few splinters of wood on the back of her glove, so I assumed that she had accidentally dragged her hand along the wood of the bench in front of us as she fell unconscious.

I reached out to help her, but I wasn't given the chance. Chrysalis woke up, pushing herself to her feet. When she realized that she was bleeding, her eyes widened. She plucked the splinters from her glove and cradled her injured hand close to her chest, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain.

"Do you need help?" I asked in concern, my hand dancing to her injured arm. "It looks like that cut is pretty bad."

"I'll fix it when I get home," Chrysalis said quickly, stepping away from me quickly. She looked somewhat afraid. I was sure it was because of the announcement that we had heard just before passing out. Occisor, whoever they were, seemed to have some beef with Oracle, and in the end, it got the rest of us hurt.

Judge Frost, who was now conscious, glanced around the courtroom before speaking. "Well... I see no reason to prolong this trial further," he said in a hurry. He seemed just as anxious to get out as the rest of us. "This court now finds the defendant, Yuri Rinko, not guilty. Court is adjourned!" Judge Frost slammed his gavel down onto the bench in front of him before dashing for the courtroom doors. I didn't at all disagree with this sentiment, so I did the same.

**March 15**

**Defendant Lobby No. 2**

**12:50 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

When I got out to the defendant lobby, the reporters were going wild, talking about theories as to who Oracle could be. I wasn't in the mood to join in, so I made for the hallway just outside the room. Chrysalis and Yuri weren't far behind me, the former holding her injured hand still. I wished she would let me help, but I got the feeling that she was stubborn enough to refuse it no matter how many times I asked her what I could do to be of assistance.

One thing was still on my mind. I hadn't been given the time to think of it before, but now that we were free of the courtroom, I could muse on it all I wanted. Occisor had mentioned over the intercom that a murder had taken place at Sparx Factory. I had heard of the place before, but never had I gone there. It was a factory that produced prototypes of wonderful pieces of technology soon to be released to a variety of audiences. The place was known for treating its workers well unlike most other factories, so many people were fond of Sparx. Tours were given each week going around the factory to look at what was in development.

The murder victim in the case that had been brought up was named Natasha Morix. I couldn't help but wonder if she was somehow related to Mr. Morix. They shared a surname for one, and plus, that last name was in no way common. It would make sense if they had some sort of relationship.

Despite my curiosity, I wasn't sure if prying was the best idea. Mr. Morix would likely be uncomfortable if I brought up the subject. He was probably already on edge enough as it was, so I didn't want to bother him if I could at all avoid it. Maybe Chrysalis would be a bit more open to the idea of talking about it though...

I tapped Chrysalis on the shoulder, making her look up. "What is it?" she asked, her eyes dark. I assumed it was because of the cut on her hand.

"Do you know anything about this Natasha Morix character that Occisor mentioned?" I asked her, a frown on my face.

Chrysalis hesitated before letting out a sigh. "Natasha Morix was my brother's mother," she told me quietly. "The two of us share a father but have different mothers. His mother was the victim in the case from two years ago, GC-9. She was murdered by unknown figures who attacked the factory. Not only did she die, but many other people fell victim to their despicable attacks. A few people nearly died. Yuri covers up her eye because of that case. Countless others were traumatized in other ways because of the group of killers. There were roughly five of them. I don't remember. The only words we have of the murderer and their assistants, who attacked witnesses who appeared at the scene, are from the witnesses. None of them could remember the incident in detail. I've wanted to open it back up, but without anyone from this Occisor group, we have nothing to go off. None of us can remember a damn thing about the ones who did it."

"Us?" I echoed. While she had been trying to hide it as far as I could tell, Chrysalis wasn't able to disguise that she was involved in the case. "Did you have something to do with the assault victims in this murder?"

"Even if I did, it doesn't matter. The killers are gone, he's gone, and there's nothing that we can do about it now. Without those people here, Cotoli's mother won't have any justice. It's tragic, but unfortunately, there's nothing that we can do about it," Chrysalis told me. "Now, drop the subject before my brother comes back. It's a touchy topic of conversation for him. I'm sure you know why. For his sake, leave him be and don't pester him about it, okay?"

I nodded. She was likely right about it being best to just leave the subject be when it came to Mr. Morix. He was likely going to be stressed enough over what had just happened in the courtroom. While he had seemed relaxed when we first met, I got the feeling he was easily unnerved in serious situations.

Speaking of Mr. Morix, he and Lily appeared not long after. They had managed to push through the crowd of reporters to reach us. It had taken them quite a while, but I couldn't blame them with all the people in the defendant lobby. Chrysalis and I had gotten out earlier since we were already on the ground, but he didn't quite have that sort of advantage. Lily was tightly holding onto his hand to keep from being separated from him, but he didn't seem to mind it.

"That was... That was interesting," I said, a false smile appearing on my face. "Occisor... It sounds as if they have some grudge against Oracle."

"Yeah," Lily nodded. She let go of Mr. Morix's hand and let out a sigh. "Whoever did this was deliberately trying to threaten the Oracle for some reason."

"The victim was nothing but a pawn in the grand scheme of things, it seemed. Mr. Kyllar killed him only to finger Yuri as the killer and get her in jail, thinking she had something to do with Oracle," I frowned. "Yuri, do you know anything about Oracle? Mr. Kyllar was convinced you had something to do with them."

Yuri shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I mean, I remember the case where the Oracle thing started up. They said it was GC-9. I was a witness in that case. I don't remember anything about the killers though. They got away with it," she told me. "I don't know who it could be. A bunch of people were involved with that case. A lot of people in the factory might have had a motive to become Oracle. Ms. Morix was well-liked among her coworkers. None of them would wish anything bad upon her. She was a role model in Sparx back when she was still around. Anybody she knew well enough might want to avenge her murder."

"I don't know either. My memories of those days are all blurry... I just remember around five people in the room where we found her," Chrysalis told us next.

Mr. Morix had been surprisingly quiet during this conversation. He was looking down at the ground with a faraway gaze. I guessed that he was still thinking about what had happened in the trial. It wasn't everyday that you heard an announcement from a group of killers talking about a spy. I was sure that this sort of thing hadn't happened at all, but you could never be positive with how strange history can be with all its ups and downs.

"Cotoli, we should go home," Chrysalis whispered to her brother. She tugged on his sleeve with her free hand. "I should get my hand patched up."

Mr. Morix snapped out of his daze and looked at her hand. "What happened...?!" he asked in a panic, seemingly having just noticed it. He really was out of it if he had taken so long to realize it. I had taken Mr. Morix for the protective type, which meant what had happened was engraved in his mind for the time being.

"I cut it when I was falling due to the smoke," Chrysalis explained with a wince. "I think we should patch it up after we get back to the agency. I doubt that the first aid kids here would have anything to help this out. Plus, we have a few wraps back at home. What do you say?"

Mr. Morix nodded in a hurry. "Alright. Let's get going," he said before turning to Lily, Yuri, and me. "We're going to head back. I'll see you all at work tomorrow."

"Bye," Lily said simply with a small wave. As Mr. Morix and Chrysalis disappeared from sight, she let out a sigh. "He didn't seem to be in the best of moods."

"I'm sure you figured this, but the victim from GC-9 was related to him. It was his mother," Yuri told us. "She was found with a rope around her neck, her body hanging from the ceiling, two years ago. Ever since he's been even more protective of Chrysalis, as if that was even possible. He gets really panicky when he thinks that she might be at risk of getting hurt, which is probably why he went running off as soon as he realized she was injured."

"Speaking of the two of them, do you know anything about them looking into Oracle? Chrysalis mentioned it briefly during our investigation, but I didn't get the chance to ask on it in full," I said. "She said that they look into Oracle when they can to figure out who they really are behind the mask."

"They've been doing that for a while. Ever since Oracle first showed up, they've been trying to figure out who it is. Venus used to help them out, back before she died, but... I bet they didn't know that she was helping out Oracle from the very start. She was more involved than we ever knew," Yuri frowned.

"I hope that we can figure out who it is soon... I'm a bit curious as to why Oracle booted it all up. Was it really for revenge like Occisor mentioned? I doubt that they have it right since they don't know who Oracle is. It's probably just a blind guess," Lily shrugged to herself. "But I guess we won't know until we figure out who Oracle is. Well, if we ever do. A secret that's been kept for two years now isn't going to crack very easily."

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right," I sighed. "Do you have any ideas as to who Oracle might be? You know more about the trial from a year ago than I do. You likely heard at least a little bit about it from your sister. She was present that day, correct? It would make sense if she was an accomplice."

"I know about as much as the public does. Oracle was exposed and got their hands cut open. The killer got away thanks to a smoke bomb like the one that we saw today. Venus would have been able to tell you a lot more, but she's not here to say it," Yuri frowned, looking down at her feet. "But, even if we can't ask Venus, there is one other person that we can ask. Mr. Morix was the lead attorney on thats case. When we go into work tomorrow, I'm sure that he'd be glad to tell us all about what happened a year ago in the trial. Because he's been looking into Oracle for a while on top of that, he'll have even more juicy details."

"Chrysalis suggested that while we were investigating this case. She said that Mr. Morix would tell us about it after the case finished. It seems that we don't need to return to the agency after what happened here today. From what Mr. Morix said as he was leaving, I get the feeling that he wants to be alone. He told us to come in tomorrow, which means we should give him some peace with his sister for the time being," I said. "But tomorrow, we should ask him about it. The case is once again relevant because of what happened here today. That case can give us a hint as to Oracle's identity. If we're lucky, we can find out a bit more about them and maybe even determine who they really are. If we do figure it out, we can use that information as we think it should be."

"I don't know if it's going to be as easy to find out as you're making it sound," Lily frowned. "I don't know much about Oracle. All I know is that they were involved in Venus Rinko's murder last month... I mean, they were right there in the courtroom the entire time that the trial was going on."

"What?!" Yuri cried out in shock. "Explain, please! I never heard anything about this! I was there watching the trial, but I didn't hear anything about Oracle actually being there for it!"

"It's only an idea, so don't get too excited," Lily cautioned. "After the trial, I spoke with my older brother. He was the prosecutor on the case. He said that he thought the main witness, Shayla Willows, was suspicious. After doing some digging, he came to the conclusion that she was Oracle. Her first recorded appearance was from two months ago. Barely anything is known about her from before that point. He said that we crossed paths with her without even knowing it. The judge was taken in by her spell too. Nobody had a clue that we were being deceived by none other than the Oracle of the Law during that trial."

"I had no idea... Venus had been hanging out with Shayla for quite some time too. They were really close friends. Shayla was at our house a lot of the time, talking about painting and stuff. She even slept over from time to time," Yuri told us in shock. "I had no clue that she was hiding anything at all like that."

"Whoever Oracle really is, they're good at keeping up the facade," I remarked. "Finding out who they really are is going to be harder than I expected."

"If Shayla comes to my house at any point in the near future, I'll be sure to talk to her about this. Oracle hasn't ever done anything violent in the past when it comes to their exposures. Sure, they have made notes of secret information, but only to expose corrupt legal dealings. Nobody's been hurt by them before, so I should be pretty safe to talk to her without suffering any injuries," Yuri said. "I'll try and have one of you two over just be on the safe side though."

"That sounds good," Lily smiled. "Wow, I feel like we're already a lot closer to figuring this out than we were before. This chat has been nice, even if we're talking about a spy and their endeavors." She let out a small laugh. There was nothing akin to discord behind her voice, so I knew for sure she was genuine. Even if we had all just met, I knew that we were going to be getting along well in no time, as if this wasn't an indication already.

"I should probably get going now," Yuri told us after a brief silence. "My mom's going to be wondering where I ran off to. She's already pretty eager to take me home. I know her well enough to have figured that out easily. I should head out to hopefully ease her worries. I'll see you guys tomorrow." She turned around and waved to us before disappearing into the crowd. Lily and I waved back.

We talked for a little longer before going our separate ways. Even as I got into my car, I was thinking about the trial. This Oracle situation was intriguing me more as the seconds crawled on. I was almost excited to see where it would take me in the near future. Even if much of what was to come was uncertain, I was still anticipating it eagerly. I had a feeling I was going to see many more adventures involving Oracle in my time at Morix Law Offices...

**March 15**

**Unknown Location**

**7:00 PM**

**Unknown Perspective**

"Today was risky for you, wasn't it?"

Upon hearing the man's voice in front of me, I let out a sigh. "It was," I said simply, unsure of how else I could respond. "Occisor seems incredibly interested in me. I can already tell that it's a bad sign. Whoever is behind it, they're smarter than I expected them to be."

"They said you wanted revenge because of the death of one Natasha Morix. Is that true?" the man asked, sitting down next to me. His presence was a comfort. In all this wild business that I was wrapped up in, he was my main source of happiness. He was always there for me, no matter how hard times got. We had mourned the loss of Venus together after her murder. He had held me as I cried over it. Hell, one might even say that he was my reason for living at this point.

"You could say that," I muttered with a small shake of my head. "It's a little bit of her and a little bit of something else. I'm sure you know what I mean. I still have to look for the man who appeared and then went missing. As brief as our time together was, he changed our lives for the better. I don't want him to be out there alone in the world when he could be here with us. During GC-9, he was there when I recovered and you were looking into everything that had happened. He was the first one to know about the Oracle project, even before you or Venus. I need to know where he is."

"Are you at all worried that he's told someone?" the man questioned of me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

I leaned my head up against him, closing my eyes and shaking my head. "He wouldn't do that. We're all that he has left now. He mentioned that the people he cared for died at the hands of a group of killers. If you ask me, it has something to do with Occisor. Maybe he's out searching for them. He knew a lot more about them than we ever did, even if he kept it to himself to protect us. I just hope that he hasn't gone out and gotten himself killed for our sake..."

"Speaking of Occisor... Are you afraid of them at all?" the man asked next.

"A little... I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't, and I know well now that lying to you is pointless. You'll just see through it anyways. You know me far too well. You've been my legal guardian for eight years now. I can't keep anything from you," I said. I avoided his gaze and let out a sigh. "I hate all of this. I just want to stop Occisor and find him and end it all. Even if I'm helping people, all it does is hurt me... But at the same time... I know that I can't just up and quit."

"You're far too worried about the innocent people behind bars," the man finished for me.

As always, he was correct. "You got it. I don't want to see people suffering in prison over crimes they didn't commit. I know that I can do something to fix it. Everything that I've done so far has proven that. I can't just sit by and watch all those people get sent to death when they're innocent. I've never been the type to sit by when it comes to injustice," I told him assertively.

"Unless it's injustice done against you, it seems... Then again, the world has a way of making you suffer, doesn't it?" the man asked. I could hear the hint of sadness behind his voice.

"Yeah... Yeah, you're right," I said with a small laugh, though my voice was humorless. I found myself pulling the gloves I wore off my hands to stare at the twin scars on the back. There was a jagged line on both of them from a year ago. They had mostly healed since then, but I knew that they'd never fade. The right hand was still a bit sensitive from Venus' murder and what that Buff Guiy man did to me, but it would heal soon enough. The scars always did.

I decided to go on and change the subject as I pulled my gloves back on. "We should get something to eat. I know that we've both been on edge all day because of the trial, but we need to eat something. We can't have you getting sick, as prone to illness as you are," I told the man before getting to my feet.

"You can't really talk in that respect," the man smiled to himself. "If I recall correctly, back when you were younger, back when we barely knew each other, you'd get colds at school every other day and come home sneezing. I'd have to get you cough drops on my way home so that you'd be able to speak without wheezing. You've gotten much better since then, but still..."

I laughed quietly. "Okay, maybe you're right. But the point still stands that we need to get some food. Does grilled cheese sound alright? I can make it," I suggested.

"I still don't want you using that hand of yours. It's been scraped up pretty badly," the man frowned. "I'll handle it."

I nodded to myself, my thoughts going back to the trial briefly.

The man seemed to detect this. He leaned over and planted a small kiss on my forehead. "It'll be alright, my little Oracle."

I nodded in response. "You're right... It always is."

**TURNABOUT BREAKDOWN**

**END**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, we are finished with this chapter!
> 
> We get into case three next time an update comes out, which plays a pretty big part in the story (granted, every case does, but this one in particular). I'm overall pretty excited for it.
> 
> Also, I posted two shorts for Octopath Traveler today. If you like Octopath, I highly suggest that you go on over there and check it out. 
> 
> With that being said, I'll see you all next time!
> 
> -Digital


	16. The Disastrous Turnabout, Part 1

**March 16**

**Morix Law Offices**

**8:00 AM**

**Cotoli Morix**

I was feeling a bit better the next morning when I woke up. I was still a bit shaken from the encounter with Occisor the day before, but I was definitely on the way to feeling normal again. Chrysalis seemed to be able to sense my shakiness, so she stayed by my side, her hand wrapped tightly around mine.

The demons of the past were not ones I was fond of facing. I had thought two years ago that everything would be left behind at the factory after Mom died, but I was wrong. Now, everything involving her death was back and bigger than ever. The killers who ended her life were never caught, but now that they had resurfaced, they were trying to exact revenge on the Oracle of the Law for going after them to put them behind bars.

I could feel fear stirring deep inside of me. What would happen if Oracle did end up caught? Nobody would be able to say what sort of disaster would be unleashed. Oracle, odd as it was, seemed to keep our legal system sane in their own little way. Not one person out there knew who they were. I wanted to know now more than ever before because of the death of Venus and the Occisor incident, but at the same time, I was almost afraid of what I might find. What if Oracle was somebody that I knew? Venus and I had been close for years before she passed on. I knew most people she did as her employer. If I knew Oracle despite not knowing of their true identity, everything would change. Things were already crazy enough... Did I really want that for myself at this moment?

Chrysalis managed to snap me out of my daze by tapping me on the shoulder with her good hand. We had managed to fix up the cut one the best we could, but since neither of us was trained in anything medical, it wasn't anything special. Chrysalis insisted that it was fine and that it would heal on its own. I wasn't quite so sure, but I didn't want to cause any issues for her. Going to a hospital would reveal a few other scars of the past that I knew Chrysalis wouldn't be fond of bringing up. Even if it wasn't ideal, I chose not to object. It was already looking a lot better, which somewhat managed to ease my worries.

"The others are here," Chrysalis told me. I nodded and followed her down the stairs to the lobby of the agency where the others were. They didn't seem to be too bothered by what had happened yesterday. I couldn't put my finger on if it was because they were acting or they were genuinely carefree in regards to it.

"Hey, Mr. Morix!" Yuri chirped, waving to me. "If you don't mind, we have a few questions to ask you about the case from a year ago."

"We're getting right down to the point, aren't we?" I asked. "What do you want to know?"

"Do you think you could give us the details on what happened during that case a year ago? The one with Oracle?" Lily questioned. "Because of all this Occisor nonsense, we want to know a bit more. Maybe it could lead us to who Oracle really is behind the mask."

"I don't know if that's the best idea," Chrysalis frowned. "Oracle gets into all sorts of trouble, remember? I'm sure you don't want to end up hurt."

"Talking about this case shouldn't hurt too much though," Deirdre said. "Only if you think it would be alright to talk about, Mr. Morix. We don't want to force you into doing anything or remembering something you'd rather forget."

I paused for a moment, thinking about it. It did seem pretty harmless, so I might as well. "Alright," I responded with a small nod. "I'll tell you about it."

"That took a lot less convincing than I expected," Yuri said in shock. She shrugged. "Oh well. I guess it's better to be surprised positively than negatively."

"You weren't at the trial a year ago, right, Yuri?" Chrysalis asked, turning to the younger girl. "At least, I don't think that you were there..."

"Nope. I think I had to work on some group project for school," Yuri replied. "Whatever the reason was, I wasn't there. These days, I really wish I had been there though. Imagine how cool that would have been! I could have gone to school and told everybody all about what I would have seen at the trial!"

"Maybe it's for the best that you stayed away. That case was complete chaos," Chrysalis said, cringing slightly. "I wasn't there either, but I still remember hearing Cotoli and Venus buzz about it for the longest time. Venus seemed pretty shaken up by all of it."

"Why weren't you there, Chrysalis?" asked Lily with a small tilt of her head.

"I don't entirely remember the reason. I think I was doing something with my theater group. We put on a show not long after the trial, so I could have been in rehearsal. I don't quite recall," Chrysalis shrugged. "It doesn't really matter now though. The point is, that trial was a bit of a mess in the short and long term."

"I suppose I should start the story from the beginning," I suggested, sitting down in one of the lobby's chairs. The others all followed suit. "If there are no objections..." I looked over the group. They were all silent. With a small nod, I spoke again. "It was in January of last year..."

**January 23**

**Defendant Lobby No. 3**

**9:45 AM**

**Cotoli Morix**

I found my heart pounding as I made my way into the defendant lobby. Never before had I been this unprepared for a trial. For all my others, I had been given at least one day to prepare, but not this time. Instead of having a chance to look at the crime scene, I was called in by the police early this morning to come and defend a young woman who didn't have an attorney. I usually wasn't fond of being sarcastic, but more than a few snarky remarks filled my head each and every moment I spent thinking about this situation.

Her name was Felicity Amaya, from what I could tell. I had seen her name on top of one report regarding this case, so I wasn't entirely sure, but I could guess. She was being accused of killing the owner of one of the biggest law agencies in town. That certainly explained why nobody wanted to defend her. If she killed somebody from a large business, all the victim's employees would want to stay as far away as humanly possible. Even if she didn't do it, they'd still prefer to keep their distance. That meant that the job fell to me, the owner of a tiny little agency that barely anybody had heard of... Absolutely spectacular.

"Did I make it in time?"

I turned upon hearing the voice of the one person who I'd be able to talk to about this. Venus Rinko came running in, holding her chest as she panted for air. Her chocolate brown hair was puffy and reached down to her hips. Pink streaks could be seen on either side. She had a brown jacket on over a pink, purple, and orange gradient shirt. Her leggings were black, same as her boots. A messenger bag was over her shoulder, the same one that she brought to every trial we were on. Her brown eyes met mine for a moment until she was able to regain her composure.

"You made it, yes," I told her. "What took you so long? Was it because of the short notice?"

"Yeah... Cassidy woke me up saying that she had gotten a call this morning from you asking me to come down here. She's been on the prosecution from the very start, which means that she was already up and at 'em," Venus said. "On top of that, she's just always been the punctual Rinko sister. She's organized and controlled, Yuri is wild and fun-loving, and I'm flirtatious and lovable." She let out a small chuckle at her last words. "So, what do we have on the case so far?"

"The victim is one Jackson Blocker. He was a defense attorney who owned a large business, Blocker Law," I began to say, pulling out a sheet of paper from my tiny stack. "He was shot in the head by a large gun, which was left on top of a car outside the agency later that day. He's been well-known among people of the public because of a press conference not long ago. He mentioned an Oracle character, who he said was the Oracle of the Law. Ever since, the public has done nothing but buzz about this spy. People have been pressing him for ages, but he always stays out of the drama."

"I remember that. I hear about it a lot," Venus said. "What about the defendant? What motive do they have to kill the victim?"

"Her name is Felicity Amaya, I think. She was applying for a job at Blocker Law yesterday, the day of the murder. She ended up being rejected the position and left his office in tears. She disappeared for a short while, but when she was found again, she was with the gun that was found sitting on top of the car, which was revealed to be hers," I explained to Venus. "The only witness we have is her twin brother, but I don't exactly know his name... I guess we'll have to figure that out in the trial. I doubt the prosecution will spare a moment talking to us about the case before calling him in..."

"Don't say that. It's Ghastly. He might be Chief Prosecutor now, but he's still the same old Ghastly we know and love. He's a good guy," Venus reminded me. "You dated him for six months, for crying out loud. I doubt that he'd be as merciless as, say, your current girlfriend. She's fierce. He isn't."

"I didn't realize Ghastly was on this case," I said in shock. "In all fairness, I should have realized it when you said Cassidy was on the prosecution. She's been working with him since last year when they first met. She only ever helps him out in court since he's the main prosecutor that's nice to her."

"Aside from your sister, of course," Venus reminded me. She was right. Sora, the middle child in my merry little family, was a prosecutor too. She was pretty kind to everybody around her, so it was a bit jarring to see her in the courtroom at times. I hadn't ever gone up against her, which was probably a good thing, but I had still watched a few of her trials from the gallery. She was a perfectionist, but it worked for her. She always got the job done in court.

"That's true," I agreed. "Man, here's hoping Ghastly is willing to go easy on us... He probably will, since he's fond of the truth over victory, but..."

"You're worried about him winning since you haven't had time to prepare, right?" Venus asked. "You three are all the same. Sora's a perfectionist, you need to prepare, and Chrysalis rarely speaks to people she doesn't know without mapping it all out in her mind. It isn't a bad thing, but the resemblance sure does show with odd things."

Before I got the chance to say anything in response, a cry rang out from the bailiff, telling everyone to go into the courtroom. I let out a sigh. "Here's hoping we don't end up flopping around like a fish out of water once things get going. Since Ghastly is our rival today, he should be willing to go easy on us, especially since we were pushed into this on such short notice," I said to Venus. "I guess we should go on and head inside."

"Yeah... Man, this is going to be messy. Please, whatever god is out there, save us from this trial," Venus muttered, clasping her hands together in prayer as she stared up at the sky. "Big fluffy sheep god, I beg of you..."

"Sheep god?" I echoed. "Since when do you pray to a sheep god? Wait, no, I have a better question. Since when does anyone pray to a sheep god?"

"Why not? We need all the luck we can get. Plus, I like sheep," Venus answered simply. "Let's just go on in there."

I nodded and followed her as we went with the small crowd into the courtroom.

**January 23**

**Courtroom No. 2**

**10:00 AM**

**Cotoli Morix**

The gavel slammed down, snapping me out of my daze of fear. I looked up to the judge's podium to realize that she had arrived. I hadn't noticed before since I was too busy panicking. Today, it was Judge Ophani Diaphan on the case. She had been the judge for quite a few of my trials, but we weren't much more than simple acquaintances. Judge Diaphan was the serious sort who avoided most contact with lawyers and prosecutors outside of the courtroom to keep her judgement unbiased. As long as I had known her, which was roughly a year now, she and I hadn't ever spoken on our own time.

Judge Diaphan had dark teal judge's robes on. I wasn't entirely sure what was underneath, not that I'd ever find out. Her hair was a reddish-orange color and tied into a neat bun on top of her head. A few stray pieces of hair framed her face. Her eyes were turquoise, but you couldn't see them well because of the mask that she wore. I had heard one time from Ghastly that she wore the mask because of a few nasty scars near her eyes to avoid any questions. I never went any further than that, knowing that it was none of my business to ask further. The mask was a blue color with three slits on either side for her to see through.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Felicity Amaya," Judge Diaphan declared after setting down her gavel. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"

I looked to the witness stand and saw a young woman standing there. I assumed she was this 'Felicity Amaya' that was on trial. She had short purple hair and eyes of a matching color. She wore a black tank top with sunglasses hanging down from the middle of them from the chest. A checkered sweater was wrapped around her waist, partially hiding the denim shorts she wore. She had red sneakers on as well, but those couldn't be seen quite as well.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, I looked over to the prosecution's bench and was met with the gaze of none other than Ghastly Bespoke. He looked normal to me. His brown hair that fell over his right eye was the same as it had always been. His exposed brown iris looked into mine. He was wearing a black biker jacket with matching trousers and boots, otherwise known as his usual attire. A shark tooth was hiding beneath his jacket alongside his regular brown shirt and knife. He had always carried around that knife. Ghastly had once told me why, a year ago, but I never told a soul about it at his insistence. After an assault incident, he had begun carrying it around to defend himself should the need ever arise. He hadn't ever needed it as far as I knew, but he was the type to be safer than sorry in those instances.

Standing beside Ghastly was Venus' younger sister, Cassidy. She looked to be normal as well. She had on a black jacket over her sea-foam green dress. A white belt was around her waist. She had white flats on, I was sure, though I couldn't see them due to the bench. Her white hair was straightened and reached the bottom of her shoulder blades. It faded out to black at the tips. One of her eyes, the left one, was blue, the other red. Much like her younger sister, Yuri, she had been born with heterochromia, so she had two different eye colors. It ran in the family. Venus was the only one without this trait.

"The defense is also ready, Your Honor," I managed to sputter. Venus shot me a concerned look, but I brushed it off. I didn't want to make her freak out more by seeing that I was getting all panicky this early on in the trial.

"Good," Judge Diaphan said, getting down to the point quickly as usual. "Prosecutor Bespoke, if you wouldn't mind, please begin your opening statement."

Ghastly nodded and shuffled through his papers for a little while, searching for one file in particular, I was sure. Ghastly had always been a bit disorganized, so this didn't surprise me much. Cassidy's part of the bench was much neater, so she found what he was searching for with ease and handed it to him. Ghastly smiled to her and nodded. Cassidy grinned in response before beginning to clean up his part of the bench as he started off his opening statement.

"The crime took place yesterday earlier on in the morning, around nine," Ghastly began to say. "The crime scene was Blocker Law, a well-known and respected law office in town. The owner of the agency, one Jackson Blocker, was found murdered in his office, making him our victim. He was shot in the head and died instantly. The bullet entered through his forehead and broke through his skull since it was fired at point blank range. He was found slumped over his desk in his top floor office of Blocker Law. An escape ladder was dropped down from the window as a method of escaping. The murder weapon was a small gun that was found outside of Blocker Law sitting on top of a nearby car. It bears the fingerprints of our suspect in this case, new attorney Felicity Amaya.

"She was at Blocker Law applying for a job yesterday. Ms. Amaya's time to meet with the victim was around 8:30, not long before the crime took place. She was to be interviewed for roughly thirty minutes. However, the interview was cut short when the victim deemed her unworthy of his time. He cast her out of his office. The camera just outside showed her running out in tears. She ran from the building crying and went oddly missing for a short period of time.

"Gunshots rang out while she was gone. Two of them were heard from a witness, the defendant's twin brother who was at the scene with her. He was dropping her off and picking her up from her interview, so he was waiting just outside the office. He chased after his sister upon seeing her in tears, but he lost track of her. He heard the gunshots loud and clear from his new spot, which was down in the lobby of the agency. After hearing the first one, he called for the police. This bullet did not hit the victim, instead lodging itself in the wall of his office. A second one could be heard while he was on the phone. This bullet was the one to take the victim's life. After hanging up, he went outside, hearing police sirens. Upon arriving outside, he saw his sister holding the same gun used to kill the victim. It had been sitting on top of her car. Her fingerprints were all over it. Due to her motive of anger at not being hired, she was an immediate suspect. Her lack of an alibi and fingerprints being on the weapon were just the icing and cherry on the cake that resulted in her being arrested for this murder."

"Thank you, Prosecutor Bespoke," Judge Diaphan said with a nod. "Go on and call your first witness to the stand."

"The defense calls Toby Erikson to the stand," declared Ghastly.

Upon hearing his cue, Detective Erikson approached the witness' podium. He had his hands shoved in his pockets as he glanced around.

"Please state your name and occupation," Judge Diaphan instructed of him sternly.

"I'm Toby Erikson. I'm a homicide detective down at the local precinct," Detective Erikson responded. "What do you want me to testify about?"

"Please testify about the gun found on top of the car outside the victim's law firm," Ghastly told him.

"I'll get right to it," Detective Erikson nodded.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Murderous Gun ~**

_\- "The gun was found on the defendant's car outside the building where the victim died."_

_\- "The gun is small enough to easily be hidden by, say, a jacket wrapped around one's waist."_

_\- "Two shots were fired the day that the murder took place."_

_\- "The first went off at about 8:55 AM according to the witness. We suspect this is the one that was found in the wall of the victim's office."_

_\- "The second bullet was fired a few minutes later at roughly 9:00. This bullet was likely the one to kill the victim."_

_\- "The gun had the fingerprints of the defendant on it when it was found._

_\- "Many see this as an indication that she must have committed this crime."_

"Is that enough information for you?" Detective Erikson asked once he had finished his testimony.

"I believe so," Ghastly nodded. "Alright, Co-erm, Mr. Morix. It's time for your cross-examination. Are you ready?"

"He almost called you by your first name. Even in court, Ghastly is just as casual as he's always been," Venus remarked with a small shake of her head. "He'd be a good father with how all-around nice he is to people, especially you."

"Maybe one day," I shrugged. "In the meantime, we should get to the cross-examination. Judge Diaphan prefers it when we're as focused as possible."

"Go right ahead, defense," Judge Diaphan cut in, having overheard my words. "We're all waiting."

**~** **Cross-Examination** **~**

**~ The Murderous Gun ~**

_\- "The gun was found on the defendant's car outside the building where the victim died."_

_\- "The gun is small enough to easily be hidden by, say, a jacket wrapped around one's waist."_

_\- "Two shots were fired the day that the murder took place."_

_\- "The first went off at about 8:55 AM according to the witness. We suspect this is the one that was found in the wall of the victim's office."_

_\- "The second bullet was fired a few minutes later at roughly 9:00. This bullet was likely the one to kill the victim."_

_\- "The gun had the fingerprints of the defendant on it when it was found."_

_\- "Many see this as an indication that she must have committed this crime."_

"Objection!"

"Your testimony is entirely factual, I must say, but I do have one issue with it," I declared. "Specifically, I believe that the defendant's fingerprints being on the weapon are completely unrelated to the killer. It's only in human nature that she did what she did when the gun was involved the day of the murder."

"I think I know what you're saying, and you'd be completely right," Venus nodded from beside me. "There you go again, Mr. Morix. You're using the power of logic to put everybody in this courtroom to shame. Even when unprepared like this, you're still as good as you've always been at your job."

"Don't speak in vague riddles, defense," instructed Judge Diaphan. "Get right to the point and tell us directly what you're saying."

"The gun was found sitting on top of the defendant's car, if I recall correctly. If anyone else saw something like that perched on top of their vehicle, I can say with certainty that they'd pick it up. It's in human nature," I told her. "Her prints could have easily gotten on the gun when she went to remove it to leave behind the agency completely. The police seeing her with it in her hands and observing her prints on the gun both mean nothing when you look at it this way."

"You can't deny that she still could have done this," Ghastly pressed. "You can't say for sure when her prints got onto the weapon. Plus, like the good detective said, she could have easily hidden the gun beneath her jacket. The police said that she was wearing it around her waist, which means that she could have easily hidden it. Nobody would have been able to see it if she had hidden it there."

"That leaves us with two questions. First off, was she found with a holder for the gun around her waist?" I questioned of Ghastly, though I was already sure of what his response was going to be. I knew how the police worked well enough by now to be able to predict how they operated during their investigations.

"Um... No..." Ghastly said hesitantly. "Nobody mentioned to me that she was found wearing something like that..."

"If she was a suspect for murder, then she couldn't have easily slipped away to dispose of the holder. It would still be on her person when she was arrested and taken to the detention center, and yet, I haven't heard anything about the police finding such a container in her detention center room or on her," I said next.

"You're right," Ghastly sighed. "You mean to say that if she had a holder to hide the gun..."

"She would have needed to dispose of it somewhere. The police would find it awfully suspicious that she just happened to have one on her, so she would have needed to get rid of it," I finished. "Nothing of the sort was found though. This leads into my second question. If she did have a holder, why would she bother placing the gun on top of her car? The police would just see her with it when they arrived, which would make her an immediate suspect. She would have disposed of it before they arrived instead of placing it onto her car. All of this goes together and tells me that she had no holder to hide the gun because she never intended to handle it in the first place. It was just there atop her vehicle, so when she went to remove it, her prints got on it, making her a suspect for this murder."

"That could be a distinct possibility we must take into consideration," Judge Diaphan nodded. "For now, we'll just have to think on it. I believe that it's time for us to call in our second witness. Prosecutor Bespoke, I'm sure that you have him prepared to testify, am I correct?"

Ghastly nodded. "Yes. He's all ready. That being said, the prosecution calls Sky Amaya to the witness stand to testify about the day of the crime," he declared.

At his words, a young man walked up to the witness stand. He was frowning as he looked around, arms crossed over his chest. He had red hair that was slightly spiked. His eyes were red as well. He had on a white shirt that was slightly unbuttoned near the chest area, exposing part of his collarbone. He was wearing navy pants and white sneakers as well. From the sound of his surname, he was related to the defendant. However, that was rather strange to think, as they looked nothing alike. He was all red while she was purple. Earlier on, Ghastly had said that the witness was the defendant's twin brother. That was even more peculiar. I had seen fraternal twins before, but none had looked so radically different... It was a little bit jarring, to say the least.

"Please state your name and occupation," Judge Diaphan instructed of him, still as stern as she had always been.

"My name is Sky Amaya," he said, letting one hand settle on the witness stand in front of him. "I'm a defense attorney, but I'm currently not working for any agency. I was set to apply for Blocker Law a few days after my sister, but unfortunately, it doesn't look like that's going to be happening now..."

"He heard the gunshots the day of the murder and called the police," Ghastly explained. "He came to the agency with the defendant to drop her off and pick her up for her interview. When asked why this was, Mr. Amaya explained to us that the suspect has not yet gotten her driver's license, so she has to be taken places by him these days. She recently got her permit but cannot travel on her own until she passes the test, which means that she and her twin brother here are attached at the hip as far as transportation goes for quite a while."

"I see... Witness, please tell the court what you saw the day of the murder," Judge Diaphan demanded.

"I'll get right to it," nodded Mr. Amaya.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're taking a significant chunk out of this story's content now. After this case finishes, we'll officially be a third of the way through the story. This case is a shorter one like the first case was. Cases one and three have five chapters, cases two, four, and five have ten, and case six has a whopping twenty chapters to accommodate for longer investigations, building suspense, and a twist ending. Yeah, pretty cool stuff. 
> 
> This case is pretty important where the overall plot is concerned. Every case has its ups and downs, but this one is particularly vital to understanding later segments. Plus, we have character cameos, which are always fun. No character in this book is ever unimportant, which is something to keep in mind, I suppose. Call it my strange brand of foreshadowing. 
> 
> That being said, I don't think there's much else for me to talk about here. I'll see you all later!
> 
> -Digital


	17. The Disastrous Turnabout, Part 2

**January 23**

**Courtroom No. 2**

**10:45 AM**

**Cotoli Morix**

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ When I Heard the Gunshots ~**

_\- "I was sitting outside the office where my sister's interview was before she came out."_

_\- "She was in tears, running for the elevator. Unfortunately, she went down before I could reach her."_

_\- "I tried to follow her down, but when I couldn't find her, I decided to wait for her in the lobby, knowing she'd need to exit through there."_

_\- "That was when I heard the first gunshot ring out."_

_\- "I called the police immediately after, saying that it sounded like it was coming from inside the building."_

_\- "Not long after, while I was still on the phone, a second one could be heard."_

_\- "I walked outside to meet the police, which is when I saw my sister with the gun in her hand..."_

_\- "I'm afraid I don't know where she disappeared to before the gun was fired, though... Sorry..."_

"This is pretty incriminating testimony," Judge Diaphan murmured. "I must say, it'll be a chore and a half to worm your way out of this one, defense, but then again, I've seen you do it many times in the past. We'll just have to see how things unfold."

"What do you say to that, Co-Mr. Morix?" Ghastly asked, crossing his arms. He was trying to look cool, I was sure, but first off, he always did, and second, he sort of ruined it by slipping up on my name again. "You can't deny that this surely incriminates your client. What do you think?"

"I think I'll express what I believe during the cross-examination," I told him. I had one question that I for sure wanted to ask of Mr. Amaya, but I wasn't entirely sure where it was going to lead us. At this point, I could do nothing but improvise as I went along, praying that I ended up getting lucky.

"Then go right ahead," Judge Diaphan nodded. "You may begin."

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ When I Heard the Gunshots ~**

_\- "I was sitting outside the office where my sister's interview was before she came out."_

_\- "She was in tears, running for the elevator. Unfortunately, she went down before I could reach her."_

_\- "I tried to follow her down, but when I couldn't find her, I decided to wait for her in the lobby, knowing she'd need to exit through there."_

_\- "That was when I heard the first gunshot ring out."_

_\- "I called the police immediately after, saying that it sounded like it was coming from inside the building."_

_\- "Not long after, while I was still on the phone, a second one could be heard."_

_\- "I walked outside to meet the police, which is when I saw my sister with the gun in her hand..."_

_\- "I'm afraid I don't know where she disappeared to before the gun was fired, though... Sorry..."_

"Objection!"

I couldn't help but smirk to myself as my objection rang out. I hoped that it made me look confident, because honestly, I wasn't at all sure where I was taking this. "You might not know where Ms. Amaya ended up going, but I think I might have a little bit of an idea," I told the witness.

"You think so?" Mr. Amaya asked, his eyes going wide. "Then... Where do you think she disappeared to? I certainly don't know."

"I can't say exactly where she ran off to, but I know one place that she didn't go to," I said. "You mentioned before that she ran out of the office where the interview was taking place in tears, correct? That gives me an idea of place that she couldn't have gone off to based on your testimony."

"You're thinking about his office, aren't you?" Mr. Amaya questioned. "If she had run out of there and gone for the elevator, she had gone to a different floor."

"Exactly. That means that she couldn't have been in the office committing the murder," I declared. "I recall Prosecutor Bespoke mentioning something about cameras being positioned just outside the office of the victim. These cameras saw her leave the office before the murder. If she had committed the murder, wouldn't the cameras have seen her going back inside? That would be certainly incriminating. However, without that, we can hardly say conclusively that she killed the victim yesterday. How could the killer have gotten inside without being spotted by the cameras?"

"I believe that I already mentioned something else as well," Ghastly smirked. "I brought up a safety ladder that was dropped down from the victim's window, did I not? If the defendant was inside the office, she could have set up the ladder when the victim wasn't looking to climb inside later. That way, she could kill him without finding herself in trouble due to the security cameras. It would give her the chance to kill the victim and keep her from being spotted."

"I'm afraid that could not be the case. Why would the defendant drop down the security ladder during the interview if she had no motive then? She didn't know that she was going to get rejected from the job. Without this knowledge, she has no motive, and thus, no reason to drape down the ladder to later sneak in," I told him. "I have to ask you, Prosecutor Bespoke... Was anybody else seen on the camera after the defendant ran out of the room?"

"No. Not a soul. The defendant and the witness were seen running away from the scene, but no other was caught by the camera," Ghastly told me. "There were two other people that entered the room beforehand though, a young woman and a man about the victim's age. I have prepared both of them to be witnesses today in case their testimony ended up being required. I can call one of them up if that's what you'd prefer."

"This could be our chance to learn more about the time before the murder. One of those two people must have dropped down the ladder, so we need to talk to them. There's a fifty percent chance that we'll end up with the right person. It's up to you who we talk to first," Venus told me. "You know best."

I paused on it for a second before nodding to Ghastly. "If you wouldn't mind, would it be alright if we spoke with the young woman you mentioned?" I asked.

"That wouldn't hurt. I'm sure she'd be happy to talk to us," Ghastly said with a shrug. "Just give me a few minutes. I'm afraid that she's a bit shy..."

"Do you need a recess, Prosecutor Bespoke?" Judge Diaphan asked. "I can give you one if you feel that it would be necessary."

"I don't think so. Give me five minutes and I'll have her in here," Ghastly declared. Judge Diaphan nodded, cuing him to run to the prosecution lobby to see his witness. I didn't have a clue who it was due to my lack of investigation for this case. Whoever she was, I hoped that she'd help my case rather than hinder it.

"It looks like we're doing okay so far," Venus remarked from beside me. "If we can keep hanging on, we might have a chance at winning this."

"We don't know our client very well, but I must say... She doesn't seem like the type to commit murder," I said. "It's just something about her. I can't say much else besides her name, but I know that she didn't kill the victim. So far, we've already made that rather clear, I must say."

"I just wonder who would want to kill Mr. Blocker..." Venus muttered. "It doesn't make sense. Aside from the Oracle incident last year, nobody really had a reason to look twice at him. He owned a big agency, sure, but it's not like you saw much about lawyers on the news up until the release of Oracle's title."

"Yeah... Whoever did it definitely had something on him. I can't say what it was, as we barely know a thing about the case, but I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out as we get more information. Maybe even our next witness will be able to tell us something," I said hopefully, though I couldn't be sure yet.

Ghastly came walking back into the courtroom not long after. He was standing with a girl who looked to be about Cassidy's age, though I couldn't say for sure. She had light brown hair that was mostly down, though there were two small ponytails on either side of her head. Flower pins covered up the hair ties. Her eyes were brown and glancing around with uncertainty. She had on a simple pink dress with a white jacket over it. She had on knee-high orange socks with white flats as well. I noticed white gloves were on her hands also, but they were a bit hard to see due to the longer sleeves of her jacket. The young woman looked up to Ghastly for a second, staring in fear, before he nodded. She scurried to the witness stand and stood behind it, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Witness, please state your name and occupation for the court," Judge Diaphan instructed of the newcomer.

"Um... I'm... I'm Estelle... Estelle Burns..." the girl stammered. She was twirling some of her hair over her finger. "I-I'm a high school student... But... I'm... I'm homeschooled... I-Is that good enough? Is there more I need to say? Oh, I'm already messing this all up, aren't I...?"

"You're doing fine, Estelle," Ghastly assured her. "If you wouldn't mind, could you tell us about what you saw the day of the crime? Well, to be more accurate, we want to know about what you were doing that morning. You were there to speak with Mr. Blocker, am I right?"

"Yeah... He wanted to see me, so I went over there to talk to him. I don't know why he wanted to talk though... Couldn't he have just called...?" Ms. Burns asked. "I-I don't understand any of this... I wish that I could ask him, but that's not possible anymore... He's gone..."

"You seem to be rather nervous..." Venus murmured, her shoulders tense. I hadn't realized it, but she was looking uncharacteristically tense now that Ms. Burns had arrived. "Do you think you'll need a bit of comfort? I can help you out if you think that you'll need it at all. Just say the word.

"I-I think I'd like that," Ms. Burns smiled shyly. "You seem to be really nice..."

Venus chuckled to herself before approaching Ms. Burns. She let the younger girl hold her hand, which seemed to make her happy. Both of them seemed to relax now that they were near each other, but I couldn't say for sure why that was. I could ask Venus about it later on if need be.

"Like Prosecutor Bespoke said, we'll need you to tell us about what you were doing in the agency the day of the murder," Judge Diaphan told her. "As soon as you're ready, please begin your testimony regarding your actions from when you arrived to when you left."

"Um... Okay. I'll get right to it, Your Honor," Ms. Burns said with a nod. I saw her give Venus' hand a quick squeeze. Venus seemed content to be there with her, which I was surprised by. Venus was friendly towards most people, but she rarely warmed to them this quickly. She usually reserved affection like this for those she knew well. It seemed that she and Ms. Burns were already getting along. If it would help our case, I was perfectly fine with it.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ Why I Was at the Agency ~**

_\- "Mr. Blocker called me yesterday morning and told me to drop by..."_

_\- "He said that he had some important information to give me..."_

_\- "H-He gave me a file with a few papers inside, saying that I'd find it important..."_

_\- "I-I haven't looked inside yet. I doubt that they're related to the case though."_

_\- "After he gave the file to me, I left. There was no real reason for me to stick around, so I just left..."_

_\- "I was there pretty early on... I think it was about seven."_

_\- "I-If you have any other questions, feel free to go on and ask..."_

"That testimony sounds rather simple," Judge Diaphan mused. "There aren't many questions to really ask about it. I'm sure that any lingering points can be tied up by the defense during the cross-examination. Much like this testimony, I assume that it will be short and sweet."

"I can get right onto it, Your Honor," I said to the judge. "I do have a question to ask her, but I'll get to that soon enough. Prosecutor Bespoke, do you have anything to ask of her? You seem to be pretty lost in thought over there."

Ghastly had his hand on his chin as he stared blankly at the desk before him. "I don't think I have anything," he responded with a shrug. "Go on and get started. If something comes up, I'll ask. Until then, the stage is all yours, Co-Mr. Morix." He sighed to himself before whispering bitterly. "I need to stop doing that, don't I...?"

To avoid him being embarrassed further, I nodded. "I'll get right to business," I declared.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ Why I Was at the Agency ~**

_\- "Mr. Blocker called me yesterday morning and told me to drop by..."_

_\- "He said that he had some important information to give me..."_

_\- "H-He gave me a file with a few papers inside, saying that I'd find it important..."_

_\- "I-I haven't looked inside yet. I doubt that they're related to the case though."_

_\- "After he gave the file to me, I left. There was no real reason for me to stick around, so I just left..."_

_\- "I was there pretty early on... I think it was about seven."_

_\- "I-If you have any other questions, feel free to go on and ask..."_

"Hold it!"

"Did you see anybody suspicious at the time of the murder?" I asked. "Perhaps the better question to ask would be about the man mentioned by the prosecution. Prosecutor Bespoke brought up another man being spotted by the security cameras that morning. Was he there at the same time as you?"

"I don't think so... I don't remember seeing anybody out of place yesterday morning," Ms. Burns frowned. "I've been to the agency quite a few times over the past year or so. Mr. Blocker has been helping me out a lot ever since we met. He said that I was a 'soul in need' and he wanted to do whatever he could to assist me. At least once a month, he has me come to the agency to check up on me and see how my anxiety is doing. It's always been severe, which really worries him... I thought today was one of those routine things, but it appears that just wasn't the case... He's gone now..."

"So you've been to the agency enough to recognize who's supposed to be there and who isn't," I noted to myself. "Has anybody new appeared as of late?"

"No. Everything's been the same for a few months. When he gets a new employee, which doesn't happen often, he usually tells me so I don't panic upon seeing them," Ms. Burns went on. "If there was some sort of strange man at the agency, I surely would have known he wasn't supposed to be there."

"It sounds like the man was there after you had already left," Venus muttered. She was still holding onto Ms. Burns' hand like there was no tomorrow. It seemed to be helping, as she had stopped stuttering now that Venus was there with her. "Does that sound about right, Prosecutor Bespoke?"

Cassidy nodded from beside Ghastly. "Yes. The man was there after the witness was. He was about an hour behind her," she declared, looking down on a sheet of paper as she spoke. It seemed as if she was checking her facts to make sure she was right. That was Cassidy, always concentrated in her work ethic.

"I see... Was there anything else peculiar? Was the victim perhaps acting odd?" I questioned. "Did he say anything that struck you as being strange?"

"No, not at all. He was acting normal. I don't think he suspected that somebody was going to try and kill him. He was just going to go about the day as normal from what I could tell," Ms. Burns responded. "Whoever did this didn't send a warning or anything. He's never been the best at hiding things, so it would have been clear for me to see. I know him well enough by now to figure out when something is bothering him or he's distracted at all. But there is one thing..."

"Yes?" I prompted. "What is it?"

"He told me about his appointments for the day. I asked him about it to strike up a conversation. He just mentioned that he was talking to an applicant for his agency," Ms. Burns said. "He said that it was a young woman, but he never mentioned anything about a man. I don't know if that will help you out at all, but I guess that it doesn't hurt to bring it up... Unless I'm just wasting your time by mentioning it... Do you think I'm doing that...?"

"Of course not. This might be incredibly important to this case," I assured her. "I doubt it will be any sort of hindrance. In the end, your testimony will likely help us catch the true killer. If the victim didn't have any appointments the day of the murder, then who was that man who showed up later on?"

"I don't know. I was gone by the time that he showed up since I was there early," Ms. Burns told me. "I wish I could tell you something else, but..."

"Do you think there's anything else you can ask her regarding this murder?" Venus questioned, turning my way. "There has to be at least something."

"I have a question about the ladder that the prosecution believes was used by the killer to enter the office," I offered. "That might be helpful."

"The ladder...? I don't know very much about it, but I did ask Mr. Blocker about it one time a few months ago," Ms. Burns said. "I could tell you what he told me about it if you want me to. I'm not sure it'll help you out much, but I guess that it's the least I can do... I want to find his killer more than anything..."

"Please go on and testify about what you know of the ladder," Judge Diaphan told her sternly. "Anything you can tell us will be helpful."

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Emergency Ladder ~**

_\- "A few months ago, I was worried about what would happen in case of an emergency. Anxiety and all that."_

_\- "Mr. Blocker's office is on the top floor, which would put anybody inside in a bit of a tough spot."_

_\- "He told me that he has an emergency ladder to drop down if need be."_

_\- "He mentioned that all his employees were told about it at some point to be on the safe side."_

_\- "I don't know if anybody outside the agency knew about it, but it would be easy for them to hear about it..."_

_\- "Plus, it's sort of out in the open beside the window, so anyone could easily spot it."_

_\- "And before you ask, I didn't get into it... I'm sure you'd be able to see that with a little digging."_

"What do you mean by that last statement?" asked Ghastly. "I'm afraid I don't understand..."

"I-I think the defense can save it for the cross-examination," Ms. Burns said. "Is... Is that okay?"

"Yes. Go on and start examining the testimony, Mr. Morix," Judge Diaphan instructed of me.

I nodded. "I'll get right to it."

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Emergency Ladder ~**

_\- "A few months ago, I was worried about what would happen in case of an emergency. Anxiety and all that."_

_\- "Mr. Blocker's office is on the top floor, which would put anybody inside in a bit of a tough spot."_

_\- "He told me that he has an emergency ladder to drop down if need be."_

_\- "He mentioned that all his employees were told about it at some point to be on the safe side."_

_\- "I don't know if anybody outside the agency knew about it, but it would be easy for them to hear about it..."_

_\- "Plus, it's sort of out in the open beside the window, so anyone could easily spot it."_

_\- "And before you ask, I didn't get into it... I'm sure you'd be able to see that with a little digging."_

"Hold it!"

"I'm afraid I have the same question the prosecution did a moment ago," I told Ms. Burns. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well... You should know that I don't normally wear gloves like this," Ms. Burns said, holding up her hands. "I only wear them when I feel the situation is important. Yesterday, when I went to see Mr. Blocker, I wasn't wearing any. You can see that much on the camera just outside his office."

"What do gloves have to do with the subject at hand?" Venus asked of her gently. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"My fingerprints couldn't have gotten on the box or ladder since I wasn't wearing any gloves yesterday. I doubt that you found my prints on the box. I never touched it," Ms. Burns explained. "I couldn't have been the one to lower the safety ladder for someone to sneak in, myself or otherwise."

"That narrows things down a bit then," I murmured. "If you couldn't have lowered the ladder, it must have been the man who entered after you did."

"There's just one thing I need to bring up here," Ghastly cut in. "There's nothing to do with fingerprints we can really talk about, I'm afraid."

"What makes you say that?" I questioned, my eyes widening slightly.

"The ladder's container had no fingerprints on it. The ladder had nothing on its surface either. I'm afraid we can't really use the ladder box as something conclusive," Ghastly frowned. "It was found empty. Noting else was inside. Whoever was using the ladder was wearing gloves or managed to wipe off prints."

"That seems like another statement in our favor," Venus grinned with a wink. "If there were no prints on the ladder, our client couldn't have done a thing as far as touching them. Just like we mentioned earlier, she didn't have chance to dispose of any evidence. If she had, she would have done so. Plus, she wasn't found with any gloves on. That just points to the fact that she didn't do it. She would have been found with gloves on, but we never heard anything about that."

"And there's a reason for that," Ghastly sighed with a frown. "There weren't any gloves found on her at the time. No gloves were found, as a matter of fact. Regardless of if they were on the defendant or any witness, there were no gloves at all. Sorry to rain on your parade when it comes to gloves."

"I guess there's nowhere that we can go with that line of logic," Venus frowned. "Oh well. I guess that we can move onto something else. Maybe the other witness will have something to say to us. How does that sound to you, Mr. Morix? Do you have anything else to ask of Ms. Burns for now?"

"Hm... Let me think..." I murmured, placing one hand on my chin. "Is there anything else that you feel you should bring up for the time being?"

"I feel like... I feel like there really was something at the scene with gloves," sighed Ms. Burns. "I can't really put my finger on it though..."

"What makes you say that? Did you see something?" I asked. "Surely you would have mentioned any type of gloves before now..."

"I don't remember. It's like a faint outline," frowned Ms. Burns. "I'm sure of it. There were gloves at the scene of the murder. I just don't know where..."

"Maybe we should go over a few other facts about the case," Venus suggested. "Did we ever get into the autopsy report before now? I don't think we did."

"I never even got the autopsy report since things were so rushed," I admitted. "Would you happen to have an extra copy, Prosecutor Bespoke?"

Cassidy pulled out a small file before walking across the courtroom. She handed over the folder with a small nod. "Here you are, Mr. Morix," she said simply.

"Thank you," I smiled. I opened it up and looked over the sheet of paper to myself:

_Name: Jackson Blocker_   
_Age: 47_   
_Gender: Male_   
_Cause of Death: Single gunshot to forehead fired at point blank range_   
_Time of Death: 9:00 AM_   
_Other: Front of skull was shattered due to gunshot_   
_~ Jasper Kent_

Alongside the autopsy report was a photo. It was behind the paper. I pulled out the picture to see the state of the crime scene. The victim was slumped over his desk, his head sideways on the wood. His blood was easy to see. The bullet was hard to see, but it was still there. It was difficult to see his clothing due to the position of the photo as well as the way he was propped up. His arms were likely on his lap, as they weren't visible at all in the photo.

The photo luckily had a second side, this one taken from a slightly different angle. In this picture, the ladder box could be seen. The bullet was easier to spot in this one too. His arms were still mostly hidden. His hands and lower arms were hidden underneath the shelf under the desk. I assumed it was the slider where the keyboard to his computer was kept. Speaking of the computer, I could see that the screen had been moved and currently sat on the floor. It didn't have any blood on it, so I figured that it had been moved before the murder as opposed to after. Maybe the victim had messed with it ahead of time.

"The computer had a few prints on it, but none that you wouldn't expect," Ghastly explained. "We got the prints of the victim and tested them with the prints on the computer. They were a match. No other prints were found. The police found the scene with the monitor moved, before you ask."

"He did that for interviews and other things sometimes," explained Ms. Burns. "He said that it was better if he could see who he was speaking with better. He could easily set up the monitor, so he could take it off the desk just as simply. I've only seen his office like that a few times though. Most of the time, he has the monitor up on the desk to type on. I bet it was so that he could see Ms. Amaya yesterday since she was applying for a job. Would that make sense?"

"I believe so," I nodded. "If he really only moves it for interviews, I can't think of any other explanation for it."

"Will... Will that be all that you need of me?" Ms. Burns asked. "I don't know what else I can really tell you about this murder. I wasn't there when he died."

"I believe that's it," I affirmed. "Thank you for testifying. Will you be staying around in case we need to speak with you again?"

Ms. Burns nodded. "Yes, I will. I want to find the one who killed Mr. Blocker... He was a good man. He didn't deserve to die so soon," she said softly.

"We'll find the one who killed him. This I promise you," I assured her. "You may step down, if that's alright with the prosecution."

"I have no objections," Ghastly said. "I think I'm about ready to call up my next witness. May I request a quick recess to prepare him?"

"I see no issue with that. The court will now have a fifteen-minute recess while the prosecution prepares its witness," Judge Diaphan declared. "Are there any objections, defense? I doubt you'll have an issue with it."

"I have no objections." I began to gather up my papers into a manageable enough stack to take with me out to the defense lobby. "I'll gladly take this time to look over the details of the case."

"In that case, court is adjourned," Judge Diaphan announced before bringing down her gavel, cuing us all to head out of the courtroom and into the lobbies.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have anything to say here. I really need to get better at author's notes, don't I?
> 
> -Digital


	18. The Disastrous Turnabout, Part 3

**January 23**

**Defendant Lobby No. 3**

**12:00 PM**

**Venus Rinko**

When I arrived out in the lobby with Mr. Morix, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "We're still hanging on!" I exclaimed, flopping onto the couch before anybody else could have the chance. "I have to admit, I was a little bit worried since we started off not knowing anything, but we're doing pretty well here!"

"I have to agree," Mr. Morix nodded. He sat down beside me on the couch, looking through a few of the papers on his lap. "I'm glad that nothing horrible has happened thus far. If the universe is kind, we'll be able to win this trial without any grand logical battles. It all depends on this third and final witness."

"Yeah... I just hope that we're going to be okay. Ms. Amaya seems pretty nice. Granted, we've never talked to her, but I know somebody nice when I see them," I said. "Speaking of, do you know where she is? I don't have a clue. We should probably talk to her a bit before going back into the courtroom."

"You're right. I don't see her anywhere though... Perhaps she's still in the courtroom. I can imagine that it would be easy for her to be caught up in talking to her brother, Ghastly, or Detective Erikson," Mr. Morix said. "We have fifteen minutes, so we'll hopefully have enough time to chat with her about the case."

"Another thing we should do is talk to Ms. Burns," I suggested. "She said something about somebody wearing gloves, but she doesn't know who. Maybe we can get the information out of her with a little bit of pressing. I don't think that she'd have a reason to hide something like that from the court. Unless she does..."

Mr. Morix seemed to understand. He nodded solemnly, but he didn't say anything else on the matter. "She has important information regarding the murder. It's vital to our case that we speak to her about what she knows. Any information she has will help us free Ms. Amaya. I don't see her around either, unfortunately."

"I can go and look for her if you want," I offered. I rose to my feet and glanced around the room. "Hm... She's got to be around here somewhere... Damn, there's too many people here. The lobbies are never this crowded, even if it's only about twenty people. Since she's so short, it's hard to tell where she is..."

"Um... Are you looking for me?"

I turned upon hearing a voice from beside me. Sure enough, it was Ms. Burns. She was messing around with her white gloves silently as she stared at the floor.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact," I responded. "Mr. Morix and I just wanted to ask you a few questions about the time of the murder. If you'll offer us a moment of your time, we can get this over with rather quickly and send you on your merry way. Does that sound good to you?"

"Well... Alright. I guess that would be okay," Ms. Burns nodded. "Go on and ask me anything. I'll try to give you an answer if I'm able to do so."

"You said that you saw something involving gloves at the scene of the murder. Can you go into detail on that any?" Mr. Morix asked as I knew he would.

"I can't exactly talk about it here... I'm sorry," Ms. Burns frowned. "It's... It's a long story. I can't get into it. The point is, there were gloves there that day."

"Why can't you talk about it?" I couldn't help but question. "There has to be some reason that you just can't talk about something this vital to the murder."

"You'll just have to bear with me. I can't talk about it, alright?" Ms. Burns asked, her voice growing increasingly agitated. "I'm sure that you'll be able to figure out this case regardless of what happens involving the gloves. I've dropped enough hints by now that you'll be able to figure it out. I can't tell you anything more than that. Please, try to understand. It's a lengthy and complicated story that we just don't have time for. I need to go... Bye."

With that said, Ms. Burns hustled out of the room, messing with her gloves all the way. I couldn't help but frown. She seemed different now compared to how she had been before. Unlike how she was in the courtroom, she was dodging our questions. It was obvious that something or someone was trying to keep her quiet. I couldn't tell if it was Ms. Burns herself or some outside force that was blackmailing, threatening, or otherwise scaring her into submission. Whatever it was, I'd need to get to the bottom of it with Mr. Morix if we wanted to have any chance of getting through to the end of this trial.

"What should we do?" I questioned, turning to Mr. Morix. "There has to be something we can do about this. We can't just go in there not knowing anything about the gloves. It's obvious that she knows something, but what can we do to get it out of her? If we let this chance slip away, we don't know if we'll be able to prove that Ms. Amaya didn't do it. We need to hear what it is that she's keeping from us. What chance do we have if we can't get the answers we seek?"

"Calm down, Venus," Mr. Morix instructed of me. "She obviously isn't in the mood to say anything to us. No matter what we do, we don't have the time to get her to talk. If she was afraid to say something so simple to just two of us, the chances of her spilling it to an entire courtroom are minimal at best. We'll just need to find a way around it. If she's right about having dropped enough hints for us to figure this out on our own, that's just what we'll need to do."

"Mr. Morix, are you crazy?" I couldn't help but ask. "Figure this out on our own? We barely know anything about the case! This is our one chance to figure out the truth, but we can't do anything about it? How can we get Ms. Amaya out of trouble if we can't learn what Ms. Burns is trying to tell us?"

"We just do what she wants us to. We figure out what she means through simple deduction. If she's really dropped enough hints for us to pick up the pieces, we can simply do so. For whatever reason, she's being kept quiet. At this point, I highly doubt we'd be able to figure out what is keeping her from speaking up. Instead, we'll just need to deduce what message she's trying to get across. With a little bit of brain power, it'll be done easily," Mr. Morix responded.

"Alright," I sighed. "This is a bit demoralizing... I just want to know the truth behind this case, but it appears that it simply wasn't meant to be discovered that easily. The gloves at the crime scene are important, and while there's somebody who knows the truth, she won't tell us. Thanks for that, universe."

"Is this a bad time?"

Mr. Morix and I halted our conversation upon hearing Ms. Amaya from nearby. She was standing alongside her brother, who was staring down at the floor like it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. She smiled to us and waved. I wasn't entirely sure how she normally was due to our lack of interactions, but I was surprised that she was being so bubbly in the face of facing life sentences in prison. I have to admit, I wish I could be that way all the time...

"No, not at all," Mr. Morix said. "Is something on your mind? We didn't expect you to approach us. We thought we'd have to come and find you ourselves."

"I just wanted to thank you for this," Ms. Amaya told us. "I can't exactly defend myself and Sky here is a witness, soooooo... Thanks!"

"It's our pleasure," I smiled to her. "Don't you worry one little bit. We'll have you out of that stuffy detention center in the blink of an eye!"

"Great!" Ms. Amaya chirped. "I don't think I ever caught your names... I didn't hear them much in the trial either."

"I'm Cotoli Morix. This is my assistant, Venus Rinko," said Mr. Morix. "It's nice to properly meet you, Ms. Amaya. You, too, Mr. Amaya."

"Those names are rather nice... Yours in particular is rather coolio," Ms. Amaya remarked, looking at Mr. Morix. "I might have to call you that from now on."

Mr. Morix stared at her in confusion, blinking in shock. "Um... You'll call me... Coolio?"

"Of course! I think it fits," Ms. Amaya went on. "As for you... Hm... Venus... Venus... How does Veenie sound?"

Now I was the one blinking in shock and confusion. "Veenie?" I echoed. I had always been told that the name Venus was rather elegant and fancy, but I got the feeling that calling me 'Veenie' sort of took the fanciness out of it... I didn't have a clue why anybody would even want to call somebody else that. I'd never be able to call someone something similar in good conscience. I'd be far too embarrassed unless I was their close friend, like how I am with Chrysalis.

"Yes! Veenie!" Ms. Amaya grinned. "Also, you work for a law agency, right? Well, obviously... I think that's clear since you're here in court as lawyers."

"I own one, yes," Mr. Morix nodded. "Why do you ask? Is there something regarding that bothering you?"

"No, I was just wondering... Would you happen to be hiring?" Ms. Amaya asked. "I mean, if I get out of this alive, I'm going to need a job..."

"Um... No, we aren't hiring right now," Mr. Morix frowned. "I don't think I'd be able to take on any employees at the moment. Sorry..."

"It's alright," Ms. Amaya shrugged. "It was worth a shot at least. I'm sure I can find somewhere else. Maybe the new owner of Blocker Law will let me in."

"Speaking of Mr. Blocker... Why didn't you get accepted for the job?" I questioned with a frown. "He must have said something really intense to you."

"He said that he didn't want somebody as ridiculously goofy as me working for him. He told me that he only wanted serious employees," Ms. Amaya sighed. "I can be serious... It's his fault if he isn't able to see that. It seems abundantly clear to me... Don't you agree, Sky?"

Mr. Amaya jumped slightly upon being addressed. "Um... Sure?"

Ms. Amaya rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, whatever..." she mumbled.

"Was there anything else he said to you?" Mr. Morix asked.

"He said that he never wanted to see me again if I couldn't take my job seriously. I was just trying to ease up on the intensity of the interview... There was a heavy atmosphere and I wanted to change that. That's going to be the last time I crack a joke at an interview," Ms. Amaya sighed. "I wonder what his deal was. He seemed to be really angry, even if he was stressed out. I don't have a clue why that would be though... Everything was going well before then."

"Hm... That's rather odd... I didn't speak much with Mr. Blocker, which is to say we never spoke at all, but it seems odd that he'd switch so suddenly like that," I admitted with a frown. "Do you think that maybe something was pushing him? Perhaps he was a bit stressed over something else and grew irritable."

"That's a possibility... If you ask me, it would have to be involved with the man who appeared to him after Ms. Burns left," Mr. Morix said. "If she was really so close with Mr. Blocker, I can't think of much of a reason for her to leave him in such distress. If she's been lying to us about her chat with him, she's been doing it well. There's been no evidence thus far to disprove her statements. We need to speak to this man who entered the office when court goes back in session."

"I agree. Whoever he is, he has to know something. I can't think of an explanation for why he wouldn't," I agreed. "We should probably head back in there before the bailiff shouts for us. I get the feeling that he's not in the best of moods given his tone when he called us in earlier."

"I don't know if this will do you much good," Mr. Amaya began, "but I've spoken with Mr. Blocker a few times before now. I came in to pick up application forms a few weeks ago and spoke with him. He seemed to be a rather kind man, even if we didn't know each other well. With the way he was interacting with his other employees, he seemed to be patient as well. I can't think of a reason that he'd get so snappy unless he was under an immense amount of pressure."

"Thank you for telling us, Mr. Amaya," I smiled. "I'm sure that will help us out somehow. If he was really so mad the day he died, there had to have been a reason. If we can figure out that reason, we might have something of a motive for the man who went to talk to him. Was he all mad and stuff when you first arrived? Did anything about him seem off to you?"

"He was a bit tense, if that's anything," Ms. Amaya frowned. "I didn't think much of it at the time. I figured it was just somebody in a bad mood. We all have those days. He did seem to be a bit brittle though, like he was thinking about something bad. He'd space off a bit too."

"Something he learned that day put him into a state of unrest. We can certainly use this," Mr. Morix nodded. "Thank you for telling us this."

Both the twins opened their mouths to say something, but they didn't get the chance. A gruff cry from the bailiff left them both silenced. "It's time to go in there, I guess," I shrugged. "Next time we're out here, you're going to be heading home free, Ms. Amaya! That much I promise!"

"I hope so!" Ms. Amaya grinned before entering the courtroom, her brother at her side. Mr. Morix and I followed a small distance behind.

**January 23**

**Courtroom No. 3**

**12:15 PM**

**Cotoli Morix**

A man was already standing up at the witness stand when we arrived in the courtroom. He had dark brown hair that hung low over his eyes. He was wearing a dark shirt with somewhat torn-up jeans. He also had on a large trench coat that reached down to his knees. Again, it was incredibly unclean and looked as if he'd been wearing it for years. His shoes were scuffed and messy. His eyes showed no emotion, though I couldn't quite tell the color due to his hair.

"Please state your name and occupation, witness," Judge Diaphan instructed. As always, she was getting down to business immediately.

"Colin Asasm," the man responded in a monotone voice. "Currently not employed. Is that good enough for you?"

Judge Diaphan frowned, clearly not fond of his attitude. I had to admit, I wasn't going to like him much either if things continued this way for much longer. "You are here to tell the court what you did the day of the murder when one Jackson Blocker was shot. A camera saw you enter and leave his office that morning."

"I was there," Mr. Asasm grumbled. "What about it? Is there something wrong here? Are we going to have a problem? You got a bone to pick?"

"N-Nothing like that," Ghastly cut in quickly. Cassidy was staring down at the bench, trying to hide a fear she couldn't disguise easily. "We just want to hear your testimony. It's going to be important if we want to solve this case in a timely manner. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner you can go home."

"Fine, I'll go on and get started," Mr. Asasm said with a roll of his eyes. "I have better things to do anyways."

"Then begin your testimony," Judge Diaphan said sternly. I got the feeling she had more than a few improper remarks about his behavior brewing in her head, even if she was saying nothing. Oftentimes, she was rather unreadable, but now, she was clearly in a bad mood, which definitely was not a good thing.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ Why I Was at the Office ~**

_\- "There's no huge reasoning behind my being there."_

_\- "I was just there to talk to the victim about a few things."_

_\- "I had some questions to ask him. It's as simple as that."_

_\- "What we discussed is unrelated to what happened to him."_

_\- "Is that good enough for you?"_

_\- "There aren't any problems here, so you should just let me leave."_

The courtroom was silent for a few moments after Mr. Asasm finished his testimony. I looked to Venus, who was simply staring at him in shock. "Is... Is that it? Is that really all you have to say?" she asked. "For crying out loud, he was at a law agency the day of a murder, and all he can say is that he had questions?!"

"There's nothing else to say," Mr. Asasm shrugged. "If you have issues with my testimony, just spit them out already. I have places to be, you know."

I nodded, unsure of what else I was supposed to do. Ghastly was frowning to himself. Cassidy didn't look much happier. I got the feeling that neither one of them had been particularly excited to call Mr. Asasm to the stand. From what I could tell, he was incredibly stubborn and wasn't going to give up the truth very easily. It was going to take an immense amount of pressure to get him to finally spill the beans. "I-If there aren't any objections," I began, "I shall start the cross-examination. Is that alright with you, Judge Diaphan? Prosecutor Bespoke?"

Ghastly snapped out of it upon hearing his name. He nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure," he said. "If that's alright, I mean."

"Go right ahead," Judge Diaphan told me. She was even less satisfied now, and I couldn't at all blame her. Not even I had a clue as to where this was going to be going... I'd need to look through the evidence if I was going to find an issue with it.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ Why I Was at the Office ~**

_\- "There's no huge reasoning behind my being there."_

_\- "I was just there to talk to the victim about a few things."_

_\- "I had some questions to ask him. It's as simple as that."_

_\- "What we discussed is unrelated to what happened to him."_

_\- "Is that good enough for you?"_

_\- "There aren't any problems here, so you should just let me leave."_

"Objection!"

"I somehow doubt that's the case, witness," I said. I wasn't entirely sure where I was heading with this, but I didn't have much of a choice at this point. I wasn't exactly using conventional evidence, but regardless, I was going to roll with it until I ran into some sort of issue, assuming I did at all.

"What makes you say that?" frowned Mr. Asasm, crossing his arms over his chest. At this point, I wasn't even sure if he had hands. They were hidden rather well beneath his jacket, and that was putting it lightly. "I didn't say anything that you should have a problem with. Let me go already."

"I spoke with the defendant and her twin brother out in the lobby before court came back into session. They offered some testimony that I personally think will be valuable to this case. It disputes your statement about the questions you asked the victim being unrelated to the case," I explained to him.

"How are you going to say that seriously?" Mr. Asasm asked. "She's a suspect for murder and he's probably her accomplice. You can't take anything someone like them says to be the truth. That's just a recipe for disaster and you know it. You can't actually be about to do this, right, Prosecutor Bespoke?"

Ghastly shrugged. "I'm going to let him talk. He knows what he's doing. Plus, I personally interrogated them both. If he says something that seems different from what I heard, I'll just call him on it. There's official records of what I heard and everything. This won't hurt," he said, clearly to the anger of Mr. Asasm.

"The defendant and her brother said that the victim seemed to be acting off the day of the murder," I began to say. "Mr. Amaya had briefly spoken with him and deduced that he wasn't the angry type of person. He seemed to be rather patient with others, and yet, the day of the murder, he was on edge and seemed irritated with the world around him for some reason. This sounds like what you heard, I assume, Prosecutor Bespoke. Am I wrong on that front?"

Ghastly shook his head. "No. That sounds about right. They both mentioned that he seemed angry the day he died, but I didn't think much of it at the time. I doubt that this was a case of self-defense if he was so well-liked by anyone. Somehow, I don't think his anger resulted in his attacking someone and forcing them to commit murder in order to get out of that alive. No, this was definitely done with malicious intent," he agreed. He shot a brief look at Mr. Asasm. The man behind the witness stand had his hands shoved in his pocket as he stared down at his feet. I could tell he was a bit irritated with my words.

"Earlier, we spoke with the other witness to this case who saw the victim the day of the murder, one Estelle Burns. She told us that she spoke with him briefly before taking her leave of him. The main difference between the testimony of Ms. Burns and what you're telling us is that she gladly explained what she spoke of the day of the murder. Her conversation with the victim was open to us the second she got up in front of the stand. However, you seem to be rather keen on hiding the truth from us for whatever reason," I said. "If you don't mind my asking, why do you want to keep it secret so badly?"

"It's none of your business. I just don't want to go out spilling my private information about my conversation with the victim that day. It has nothing to do with the murder, which means that you should just let it go and move on," Mr. Asasm told me. A harsh glare was in his eyes when he looked at me. I must admit, it was enough to make me feel like crawling beneath the defense bench to hide, never to come out again, but I wasn't going to back down just yet. I got the feeling that we were about to discover something incredibly important to the case, which meant I had to keep pressing onwards to find the truth.

"I think that it is important. There's a reason that you have to tell this court about your conversation, and it has to do with the testimony of the defendant and her brother," I explained. "There had to have been something that angered the victim so much. He was already in a bad mood when Ms. Amaya arrived for her interview. We got testimony from Ms. Burns about her conversation with the victim, which means that she's out of the picture on the matter."

"Are you trying to accuse me of something here?" asked Mr. Asasm. If it was at all possible, his glare got even more harsh. Venus bit her lip and looked away. I assumed it was because she as a bit unsettled regarding his expression. I couldn't at all blame her. I had no idea how I was remaining relaxed.

"I'm not saying anything of the sort," I assured him, but deep down, I wanted to say that I was. I mean, at this point, I couldn't think of any other explanation for why he was refusing to share what he had spoken of. What if the chat he had shared with Mr. Blocker provided a potential motive for him?

"Then why are you demanding that I talk? There is no damn reason that I should be forced to chatter on and on about a conversation that doesn't have any impact on this murder. I talked to the guy. So what? He was mad afterwards. So what? He died hours later. So what? I have nothing to do with this situation and you can't say or do anything to prove otherwise. Now, if you'll allow me to, I have to go do other, much more important things."

"Your silence on the matter implies that you are hiding something, witness," Judge Diaphan cut in. She seemed to be ready to slap Mr. Asasm, though I doubt that she would ever admit it due to her fondness of being much more proper. "I'm afraid that you're going to have to tell this court what you spoke of that day. If you are unable to tell us, we'll have to find you to be a suspect in this matter. You could be arrested and put on trial. You have no choice at this point."

Mr. Asasm didn't say anything after that. He let out a brief sigh with a roll of his eyes. "Fine, I'll tell you about what we talked about. Would that make you happy? Would you all finally shut up if I did that?" he asked. "I told you, I have better places to be, more important things to do..."

"We can determine if that's the case after you deliver your testimony," Ghastly told him. "Once you've finished, we can see if you'll be able to do your 'more important things' or not. This testimony is crucial to discovering the truth behind this case. At this point, you're a more likely suspect than Ms. Amaya. If you don't say something, like what Judge Diaphan said, you could be sent to jail in her place. I never got to hear what you spoke of with the victim due to the interrogation being cut short. Just know that lying will not be tolerated. I'm not going to allow you to deceive this court here today. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," grumbled Mr. Asasm. "If it'll get you all to be quiet, I'll get right to it... Just don't get too pissed off when you finally hear the truth."

"Prosecutor Bespoke really came through for us there," smiled Venus from beside me. "He probably would have been able to scuttle away from this without being interrogated if not for his words. I doubt that he would have had a chance at leaving without his interference. We should thank him after this."

"I have to agree," I said with a nod. "He really did help us out there. Even if we haven't been together for a year or so, he's still the best partner-in-crime a guy could ask for. Polly is nice, incredibly so, but I somehow doubt she'd be the type to come in here and threaten witnesses in such a subtle way. She'd probably just snap at them until they started behaving well. You know how she can get. She's great to her friends, but only the gods, wherever they are, can help those who find themselves on the receiving end of her unbridled rage." I let out a small chuckle at this, remembering the days when I had been in that situation...

God, that was completely and utterly terrifying.

"You're right. Prosecutor Bespoke is great. I can see what you saw in him when you were dating and what your sister, Sora, not Chrysalis, sees in him now," Venus smiled. "Maybe we can treat him to lunch after this. I'm sure he'd like a burger or two once this has all been wrapped up."

"If you're done chatting over there, I have to start my testimony," Mr. Asasm cut in with a roll of his eyes.

"W-We're finished," I stammered, feeling my stomach drop upon hearing him speak. I still couldn't help but feel fear when I listened to his voice... I hoped desperately that I wasn't the only one, though I was sure Venus would be able to assure me that I wasn't.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have two other stories to cross post over here, but I'm not doing that. What am I doing instead? Writing chapters for my FE Fates rewrite and doing a Goldoa-centric FE9 short. Success?
> 
> Aside from that, I don't have anything to say here. I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Digital


	19. The Disastrous Turnabout, Part 4

**January 23**

**Courtroom No. 2**

**12:45 PM**

**Cotoli Morix**

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ My Chat with Blocker~**

_\- "I told you that this wasn't at all related to this case, but if you're going to keep complaining..."_

_\- "...I suppose I have no choice but to tell you what we were talking about."_

_\- "I was curious about the Oracle of the Law."_

_\- "He revealed their existence at a press conference a year ago, so I wanted to hear about what he knew."_

_\- "It was just my curiosity on the matter that brought me to his door."_

_\- "See? No funny business going on here. I was just wondering about that woman."_

"Are you happy now?" Mr. Asasm asked once he had finished. "I was just asking a few harmless questions. There's nothing more to it, so can I leave now?"

"I still need to examine your testimony," I reminded him. He responded with a roll of his eyes as he crossed his arms and looked down at the floor.

"I noticed something off about his testimony," Venus hissed. "Did you hear it? I think that he knows more than he's letting on. I'm sure of it at this point."

"Hear what?" I asked, a small frown appearing on my face. "I didn't see anything particularly strange about the testimony..."

"When we hear it again, keep your eyes open. I'm sure you'll notice it if you're looking," she said. "Speaking of, let's get on that. Shall we?"

"Please begin, defense," Judge Diaphan instructed. I nodded in response and gestured for Mr. Asasm to repeat his testimony. For what seemed like the twelfth time, Mr. Asasm rolled his eyes and got back to reciting the testimony once more.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ My Chat with Blocker~**

_\- "I told you that this wasn't at all related to this case, but if you're going to keep complaining..."_

_\- "...I suppose I have no choice but to tell you what we were talking about."_

_\- "I was curious about the Oracle of the Law."_

_\- "He revealed their existence at a press conference a year ago, so I wanted to hear about what he knew."_

_\- "It was just my curiosity on the matter that brought me to his door."_

_\- "See? No funny business going on here. I was just wondering about that woman."_

"Objection!"

"You say that there's no funny business going on, but... I sort of find that hard to believe," I said with a small frown. "What you just said contradicts that."

"What are you on about this time? How many times do I have to tell you that I want to get this over with so I can leave? I doubt that this little fact matters as much as you're making it sound like it does," Mr. Asasm sighed. "Go on and tell everyone what's so important so we can wrap this up sooner rather than later."

"You said that you were wondering about 'that woman'," I told him. "However, if you were really chatting about Oracle, that brings us to an important question."

"How did you know Oracle was a woman?" Venus asked, frowning deeply. "In the press conference, Mr. Blocker never mentioned a gender to the spy. He only mentioned that Oracle exists. How can you explain that? Nobody in the public was aware of Oracle's gender aside from their accomplices... And yet... Somehow, here you are, saying it loud for the whole world to see. Do you... Do you know who Oracle is or something?"

I could see something else in Venus' eyes, something I hadn't seen in a long time. It had been over a year since I'd seen that look on her face. The last time was when my mother had died. One of the assault victims was her youngest sister, which had really brought out her dark side. Now, here it was again, now that we were talking about Oracle. I couldn't help but wonder what it was that was causing this reaction... I suspected she knew more than she was letting on.

"There's nothing you can do to prove that and you know it," Mr. Asasm declared. "You can go on and accuse me of this all you want, but without something concrete to back it up, it's little more than baseless conjecture, which isn't tolerated in court. Isn't that right, Prosecutor Bespoke?"

"I must side with the defense here," Ghastly said. "I want to know how you knew the truth on this matter as well. Only Oracle's unknown accomplices would know, but here we are. Let me take a guess at how you figured it out... You pressed it out of the victim when you two spoke, didn't you?"

"Would it matter if I did? There's nothing you can do to prove that I committed this murder. Even if I did talk to him about Oracle, even if I did rile him up by asking him, you still can't prove that I killed him. I know that you want to say that I did it, that I'm the killer, but you can't do a damn thing to show that I did. I didn't touch him. What reason would I have? He told me that Oracle was a woman. That's good enough for most reporters these days. In fact, I'm sure that they'll be happy with just that little bit of information as soon as it hits them," Mr. Asasm frowned. "I don't have a motive, and nothing you can say or do will ever change that. Spout all the nonsense that you want. You can't change the truth of this case no matter how hard you try."

"There has to be something we can do. At this point, it's obvious that he's the one that made the victim get all angry the day of the murder," Venus whispered to me. "All we need is a piece of evidence and a motive... If we can find both of those, we can seal this case away once and for all."

I found myself closing my eyes as I thought over the case once again. There had to be some sort of clue somewhere around here, maybe in what Ms. Burns had told us before... At this point, I highly doubt Oracle's identity mattered, so even if I was curious, I wasn't going to press the matter. The priority here was to prove that Ms. Amaya was not the killer of Mr. Blocker. Anything else could easily wait. I needed to figure out how to defend her first and foremost.

Ms. Burns had mentioned a few times that there were gloves at the scene of the murder, though she couldn't say how. I didn't know how she had gotten her hands on such information, as it hadn't been brought up until her arrival, and on top of that, I highly doubted it was mentioned during interrogation. However, how she knew wasn't important. The fact that there were gloves at all was what I needed to keep in mind. Her testimony had been proven reliable, which meant that I was able to take a gambit and trust her words without feeling like it was too risky.

There were gloves at the scene of the murder, but none were spotted in any pictures of the crime. They would have been necessary to commit the murder using the gun without getting any prints on them, as it's a bit harder to wipe prints off a gun's trigger without firing it off. Getting fingerprints off a ladder used as an escape route would be much easier, as there's no danger of accidentally shooting a gun to remove them. Using a long sleeve would also make it possible to descend or ascend without any issues, unlike using a gun, where lengthy sleeves would only hinder the culprit's movements before the murder.

The area around the building was undoubtedly searched well by the police, as the officers were always thorough in their investigations. Gloves wouldn't have possibly been able to escape. If they had been in a desk drawer inside the victim's office, they would have been found. The gloves likely weren't in another office, as none of our potential suspects (Ms. Amaya, Mr. Amaya, Ms. Burns, and Mr. Asasm) have jobs at the law agency and would have a hard time sneaking the gloves in there. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to do it without coming off as suspicious in some way.

However, if that was the case, where could the gloves be? The culprit could have taken them along, but Ms. Burns' testimony about seeing gloves at the scene of the murder shot that down. They had to be somewhere. If I just searched a little through the crime scene photos, I had to find them...

I pulled up the picture of the crime scene with a small frown. It had to be there... Our last little clue just had to be around here somewhere...

I gasped when I realized what I had been missing all along. The hands of the victim couldn't be seen. Maybe the culprit put the gloves on his hands as a way to hide them. Nobody would be suspicious if the victim was wearing gloves at the time of his death since many people wear them. It would completely escape suspicion and the police wouldn't think to check if there was a sign of somebody else having worn them recently.

"I know how we can prove he did it!" I cried out, slamming my hands on the bench before me. "Your Honor! In the photos of the crime scene, we cannot see the victim's hand. However, we heard earlier from Ms. Burns that there were gloves at the scene of the crime. If you ask me, the victim is the one wearing the gloves that she brought up earlier! We just couldn't tell that due to the angle at which the crime scene photos were taken! The gloves were right there the whole time, but we never took a moment to realize it. I'm sure that you can confirm if there were gloves found on the body, Prosecutor Bespoke. Am I right?"

Ghastly nodded. "Yes... There were gloves found on the body of the victim," he said. "You think those gloves were used by the culprit but were then hidden on the body afterwards, am I correct?"

I nodded. "That's exactly what I think. I'm sure that we can ask Ms. Burns if she saw him wearing gloves before his death. Plus, we could always have the gloves tested to see if there's any signs of Mr. Asasm having worn them recently," I suggested. "Ms. Burns, if you would please..."

Ms. Burns, who was sitting on the witness bench next to Ghastly and Cassidy, stood up. "Mr. Blocker wasn't wearing gloves that morning before his death. I'm sure of it," she announced, her eyes glistening with determination. "You can count on it. He never wore gloves inside of his office."

"Plus, Mr. Asasm might have a motive for killing the victim as well. If you think about it, he could have easily pressed Mr. Blocker for more answers regarding Oracle after hearing he knew it was a woman. Let's say that he grew angry that Mr. Blocker wasn't answering his questions... He could have killed him and tried going through his papers to see if there was any sort of clue. Any evidence he found as to Oracle's identity would be going with him sine he wanted to know. He was even willing to use deadly force to get his hands on that information," I announced. "If you think it would be necessary, I could go through the crime as I believe it occurred just to prove that I've figured it all out. Would you like that, Your Honor?"

Judge Diaphan nodded. "Please proceed, Mr. Morix," she told me.

"The morning of the murder, the victim was sitting in his office when he was visited by Ms. Burns. He had asked her to come and see him that day, to which she complied. They spoke briefly before she left him behind. This was earlier on in the morning. Later on, there was another visitor, this time our current witness, one Colin Asasm. He also talked to the victim, though about a much darker subject. He wanted to know all that he could possibly learn about the Oracle of the Law, who the victim revealed the existence of a year ago on a press conference by accident. The conversation left Mr. Blocker in a rather surly mood since he wasn't the biggest fan of such subjects. His bad mood continued throughout the morning, only worsening when he was visited a third and final time.

"The visitor this time was the current suspect, Ms. Amaya, who was there for a job interview. She was applying to join the agency Mr. Blocker owned as a lawyer. However, she made a joke at one point in the interview, which did nothing but set off Mr. Blocker's rage. In his anger, he kicked her out of his office and told her that she needed to be more serious in the future. Ms. Amaya was deeply upset by his words, so she ran out of the room in tears. Her twin brother, one Sky Amaya, was sitting just outside. He went to chase her, but due to Ms. Amaya getting in an elevator before him, she ended up disappearing from his sight.

"One of these three visitors dropped down the emergency escape ladder from the office through the window. The most likely suspect is Mr. Asasm, which I'll get to in a moment. The killer used the ladder to climb up into the office, a gun on their person. They tried to speak to the victim about something. During the conversation, a bullet was fired that implanted itself in the wall of the office. Mr. Amaya heard this from his place down in the lobby. He called the police, but another gunshot rang out not long after. This was the shot that killed the victim. Afterwards, the culprit moved the gloves they were wearing from their hands to those of the victim, leaving the crucial piece of evidence hidden in plain sight. They descended via the ladder to the ground, not touching it thanks to their long sleeves. They had brought the gun down with them, which they placed on the roof of Ms. Amaya's car, before fleeing from the scene.

"A few minutes later, the police arrived, having been summoned by Mr. Amaya's cry. They saw Ms. Amaya standing near the car, holding the murder weapon. She had been trying to remove it from the roof of her vehicle so that she could go home, but was seen by the police, which resulted in her being a suspect for this murder. However, she could not have done it, as we established earlier that she would have no reason to be lifting the gun in plain sight the way she had been if she was the killer. The real murderer must have planted it there. They wanted to frame her for the crime. Lucky for them, Ms. Amaya had a potential motive in the form of her rejection from the agency. The killer's motive was much different from this one though, which I'll go into now.

"The real motive involved the Oracle of the Law. The killer wanted more information on them. They managed to squeeze from the victim that Oracle is a woman but couldn't get much else. They likely killed him to get their hands on any important papers that were in his office regarding the Oracle of the Law. Mr. Asasm already established that he was speaking to the victim about Oracle, which points to one fact..." I raised one arm and pointed it at Mr. Asasm powerfully. "The killer is none other than Colin Asasm!"

Mr. Asasm's hands tightened into fists. He began to tremble with anger as he stared down at the ground. For a moment, I thought he was going to start grunting out of dissatisfaction, but he did something rather different. Instead, he began to laugh. Soon enough, it escalated to be louder and louder. Before long, the sound was filling the entire courtroom as he giggled with glee. He held his hands on either side before slamming them against the witness stand. I didn't know what in the world he could be finding so funny when he was pretty much guaranteed to be arrested for murder, but I couldn't question it.

The next few seconds seemed like a blur. Mr. Asasm pulled out something from his jacket, holding it up to the ceiling in one arm. A sickening bang echoed throughout the courtroom. I heard many screams as I recognized what it was. He had been hiding a gun in there all along and had just fired it off. I felt myself freeze in place. If he had a gun on him, who could say what he would do next? Anybody was dangerous with that sort of weapon on them, especially somebody like him who's already used it to commit murder.

"Listen here, everyone!" Mr. Asasm yelled. "You all heard what this lawyer has said! I killed the victim in this case! He is correct! Blocker wouldn't tell me what I needed to know, so I did him in! The ends justify the means! I already did it and I would do it a thousand times over if it meant learning what I now know! Oracle is here in this very courtroom, hiding right before your eyes! The spy you have all sought is here, waiting to be uncovered once and for all!"

"Bailiffs!" Judge Diaphan shouted. "Disarm and arrest this man at once! I will not have him hurting the people of my court!"

None of the bailiffs in the room had the time to properly react to Judge Diaphan's instructions. Mr. Asasm darted over to where Ms. Burns was sitting over near the prosecution's bench and grabbed her arm. He put the gun away in his jacket once again. After tearing off the pristine white gloves she was wearing, he tossed them to the ground. A moment later, he pulled out a knife from his pocket, pressing a button to reveal the blade for all to see. "I read a little bit through the papers on Oracle that the lawyer had. It didn't take long for me to learn that Oracle is one Estelle Burns, a teenage student. However, I doubt that a student would be able to pull all this off on her own. Perhaps she's a bit older than she says? Perhaps there are other people helping her? Maybe both?"

"Let me go!" Ms. Burns cried, trying to rip her arm out of his grasp. No matter how much she pulled and struggled, there was no way for her to escape. Ms. Burns was rather fragile when compared to Mr. Asasm, which meant that she didn't stand much of a chance when up against him. It would take external help from a bailiff to get her out of harm's way. That didn't stop her from attempting to get away though, as she desperately tried to pull herself away from him.

"You haven't denied it, have you?" Mr. Asasm asked. "You haven't denied that you're Oracle, because you can't. You can't hide the truth forever. No secret goes completely to the grave. There are always clues left behind. I just managed to find them a lot sooner than you would have liked. Poor little you. Unfortunately, little Oracle isn't going to slip away this time. This past year, you've been a real thorn in my side, you know that? You've been poking your nose where it doesn't belong, trying to hear all you can about that damn factory murder. Well, you can go on and consider what's about to happen your punishment for that."

Mr. Asasm held up the blade of his knife and let it glint in the lighting for a moment before bringing it down on Ms. Burns's wrist. She let out a scream as the blade pierced her skin. Blood flowed down to the ground, staining the carpet. Ms. Burns covered her injured hand with her fingers, tears forming in her eyes from the pain. Her breathing had gone heavy, but I couldn't quite blame her for that. Anybody would be upset at this turn of events.

Mr. Asasm didn't give her a moment to rest. He brought down the blade once again, this time on her other hand. Ms. Burns bit her lip to keep from crying out, though it was clear she was in a lot of pain. Mr. Asasm observed her for a moment before throwing her violently to the ground. Just to ensure she wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon, he forcefully placed one foot on her chest, knocking the air from her lungs. She struggled to get her breath back as Mr. Asasm let out another laugh. "This is your Oracle! This is the one who has done so much to you all this past year! However, the time has not come for her to die yet... No, she will fall soon enough, but my associates demand that she be left alive for just a little while longer. Everything Oracle knows will soon crumble to dust. I may not know who Oracle truly is behind the mask yet, but I will know soon enough, and once that day comes, nobody can keep her from her fate!" he shouted.

With that said, he turned on his heel and ran towards the courtroom doors. He dropped the knife he had been using to the floor and threw the doors open before vanishing from view. A few bailiffs chased after him. One or two remained, both of them hovering over Ms. Burns, who was coughing violently. When she realized they were there, her eyes narrowed. Seizing her gloves, she got to her feet and sprinted as fast as she could out of the courtroom. The bailiffs chased after her, Venus a few feet behind. I noticed that Venus had something akin to fear in her gaze. There was a little something more there as well, but I couldn't say quite what it was. Not only was she scared, but she was also concerned, likely for Ms. Burns. Maybe it was because they were so close, or maybe it was because there was something else there... Regardless, I wouldn't be able to ask her about it until she returned later on, likely after the trial.

The gallery was buzzing around us, but I hardly recognized what anyone was saying. I looked down at my feet, a frown on my lips. Whoever that was, whoever Oracle really was, had really been thrown for a loop today. I knew quite a bit about Oracle, as I had been curious about them for ages, but never had something like this occurred... I would certainly need to note it down for future reference in case I decided to pursue Oracle's identity further, but I wasn't sure if that was really the best idea after what had transpired here today. Ms. Burns' blood was still prominent on the carpet. It would take ages to fade, that was for sure.

Judge Diaphan's gavel hit the bench before her. She looked over the courtroom for a moment before beating the gavel once again. She ended up needing to repeat this process a few times before the gallery finally managed to calm down. Everybody seemed to have something to say about Mr. Asasm's change of heart and his attack on Ms. Burns. I couldn't stop thinking about our young witness. I had thought her to be normal, and yet, she was none other than the Oracle of the Law. I would certainly need to look into the Oracle business now that I knew this. Looking back on that, it seemed so obvious. She had something to tell us, that something being that there were gloves at the scene of the murder but couldn't say how she knew. It likely was because she had learned about it while using the power she possessed as Oracle, but she couldn't say anything in case she ended up being exposed for it. Even if she kept quiet about where she had learned it, Mr. Asasm figured it out anyways, which was most certainly a surprise. I almost wanted to ask her about it all, but I doubted I would get the chance. I got the feeling she wasn't going to be coming back for quite a while, which meant my questions would have to remain unanswered.

Once everyone was quiet, Judge Diaphan spoke up. "This has been quite the trial," she remarked, seemingly unsure of what to say otherwise. "After seeing what we have seen here today, one fact seems to be rather clear. The defendant, Ms. Felicity Amaya, is not the murderer in this case. I'm sure that the bailiffs are working now on catching Mr. Asasm. Once he is found, he will be arrested so that he can be put on trial sometime within the next few days."

As if on cue, a young man with purple hair appeared in the courtroom doorway. I recognized it as KJ. I had seen him quite a few times while at the courthouse for trials, so I knew him well enough by now, but he was a lot closer with Venus than he was with me. I didn't think that he was working today since he hadn't called us into the courtroom as he usually was, but I supposed I was wrong. He could have easily just been working another trial at the same time.

"I'm afraid he has escaped," KJ declared. "A few other bailiffs have gone in pursuit of him, so they sent me here to pass along the message. They also mentioned a young woman. She has also mysteriously vanished, as if she went into thin air. The other bailiffs are searching for her as well."

"Thank you," Judge Diaphan nodded. "I am sure that he will be found soon enough. The point is that the suspect on trial here today is not the killer. Mr. Blocker was murdered by Colin Asasm, which means that it's time for me to deliver my verdict, assuming that there are no objections from the defense or prosecution."

"The defense has no objections, Your Honor," I declared. I almost turned to the side to see if Venus had any issues with this, but I remembered that she wasn't here. She had gone after Ms. Burns, which made me wonder about how things were going with her. If Ms. Burns really had disappeared 'into thin air', then had Venus seen anything? If so, maybe she'd be able to tell me something. Anything she could say at this point would be a help. While we had proven that Ms. Amaya wasn't the killer, two of the three witnesses, one of them the murderer and the other an infamous spy, had disappeared. Unless both were found soon, this was going to be a hot subject on the news for quite some time. I didn't know if I'd ever be able to forget what had transpired during this case.

"And the prosecution?" Judge Diaphan prompted, turning to face Ghastly and Cassidy. "I trust that you have no issues with me handing down the verdict."

Ghastly was frowning as he stared down at the bench before him. Cassidy didn't say much of anything, but upon realizing he wasn't going to be responding to Judge Diaphan anytime soon, she nudged him lightly. Ghastly snapped out of his trance and glanced around. It took Cassidy hissing Judge Diaphan's question to him before he could formulate a response. "N-No, Your Honor," he said nervously. That was definitely out of character for him. Ghastly was scarcely nervous about anything. The last time I had seen him get so worked up was a year ago. He had been the suspect in the case where my mother died, which scared him a considerable amount. Aside from that, Ghastly had always been confident and tough, if not a bit lazy at times when it came to paperwork.

"In that case, it's time for me to announce my verdict," Judge Diaphan announced. "This court finds Felicity Amaya not guilty. While this case cannot yet be considered closed due to the killer having escaped, we can at the very least free this innocent woman from her place at the detention center. Once Mr. Asasm is caught, he will be put on trial, but for the time being, this is all that we can do. Court is adjourned."

Judge Diaphan brought down her gavel once again. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as KJ opened the doors out into the two lobbies. After pulling together all my papers, I made for the defendant lobby, hoping to find Venus out there, but I was distracted by a gesture from Ghastly. He seemed to want me to come into the prosecution lobby. I didn't see any issues with doing so. I nodded to him before walking his way, briefly noting the uncharacteristically solemn expression on his face. He definitely wanted to talk about this case, but I doubted he was going to be his typical self while doing so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to go to sleep in literally two minutes so I'm speed posting this. 
> 
> Okay bye-
> 
> -Digital


	20. The Disastrous Turnabout, Part 5

**January 23**

**Prosecution Lobby No. 3**

**1:30 AM**

**Ghastly Bespoke**

"That was quite the trial," I remarked once I was out into the lobby. "I didn't expect all of that to happen. And here I thought that I might have a mellow trial for the first time in my life... Then again, the chances of that were always going to be slim, so I shouldn't have hoped for something like that."

"That was insane..." Cassidy whispered. She was holding tight to her upper arms, eyes darting around the room in fear. "I-I don't even know how I'm supposed to respond to something like that. I didn't exactly expect that Ms. Amaya was the killer, but I also didn't think that Mr. Asasm would lash out like that."

"Have you seen Venus at all since she ran out?" Cotoli asked, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "She looked pretty determined to get out with Ms. Burns. I somehow doubt that she was able to go with her if none of the bailiffs could catch her though... I have to wonder if we'll ever even see Ms. Burns again."

"I don't know as of now. If Ms. Burns really was Oracle, I doubt we'll see that face again. It'll be somebody else she's hiding as," I remarked. "I know enough about Oracle to know that there are many different identities that they take on in order to investigate different cases. It's all rather peculiar... Can one person really pull all that off on their own? Somehow, I doubt it. This is a big project, which means that there have to be accomplices helping Ms. Burns out."

"I agree. There has to be somebody helping her out," Cotoli nodded. "I can't help but wonder who it would be though. I doubt that she'd be able to go into the courtroom alone without some sort of backup hiding in the gallery. However, I doubt that any accomplice would have been able to prepare her for what happened today... Maybe it was a bailiff. That would explain a way for her to escape without anybody growing too suspicious if said bailiff helped her hide."

"I guess that we'll never know. It'll take a long time of investigating if we want to even come close to learning about Ms. Burns. Chasing her down now is likely a bad idea due to her status as Oracle. One never knows how much trouble she'll end up in due to her identity," Cassidy said, a frown on her face.

"Venus should be back soon to tell us about what happened after she left the courtroom. Maybe she'll have something to say regarding Ms. Burns and her escape. I doubt there will be much, if anything, but you can dream, you know?" Cotoli shrugged and sighed. "Today has been a straight up mess."

"Yeah. Looking back on it, everything makes sense," I frowned. "Ms. Burns knew about the gloves before it was even brought up. That was probably due to her snooping as Oracle. There isn't much else we can say on the matter though, unless we happen to get one of her accomplices, or better yet, Ms. Burns herself, in here for us to chat to, but somehow, I doubt that's going to be happening anytime soon. She'll be on higher guard after this incident."

"Now, she's been marked by the culprit of this murder. Mr. Asasm has pretty much forced her to hide her hands so nobody realizes who she is. That's already a rather large indicator of who she might be. It's unlikely for most people to wear gloves around casually like that, but there's no choice for Oracle now. Those scars are going to prove to everybody who Oracle is. This will no doubt hit the news fast, so there isn't much time for her to get them fixed up, if she even can at all," Cotoli said. He crossed his arms and shook his head. "This entire situation leaves you thinking about the Oracle, doesn't it?"

"Yeah... It does," Cassidy murmured. "I don't know if I really want to learn more after today though... Imagine how dangerous it must be. I mean, Ms. Burns could have easily been shot or stabbed in front of everyone for what happened in there. I don't even want to think about how scared she probably is right now... I could never think of Oracle as bad or evil, since from what I can tell, she only does the exposure thing to those who deserve it. So far, only corrupt and underhanded legal figures have been exposed. I don't think that she'll suddenly start targeting us random common people after what's been done already."

"You never know. I guess we'll just have to see," I sighed. "I wish I knew what got all this started. Who can say? I mean, only Ms. Burns and those close to her know... Now that she's likely gone missing, we can't hear the truth from her, which means that we'll be left speculating for quite some time."

"I have to wonder though... Hasn't Oracle exposed a few corrupt prosecutors in the past?" Cotoli asked, one hand on his chin. "I think I heard about it in the news a few weeks ago, as a matter of fact. A prosecutor was caught for forging evidence in court and Oracle told the reporters through a note left on the front door of a news office. It didn't take long for the exposed prosecutor to get kicked out, if I recall correctly. Does that sound about right to you, Ghastly?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it does. I remember it pretty well too. He was a shady guy, but I didn't ever work with him. I don't remember his name either. He walked into work one day and was called in by the current chief prosecutor. He was fired after the chief prosecutor held up the newspaper and his suspicions were confirmed. Not long after, the chief prosecutor resigned since he was sick of this happening over and over again. We still haven't decided on a replacement."

"Think about it. How would Oracle have known that there was a corrupt prosecutor in the office without some sort of insight? Oracle is either there themselves under some sort of disguise or there's another person that's working alongside Ms. Burns to give out information like that. Regardless, there's got to be an accomplice somewhere in the Prosecutor's Office," Cotoli frowned. He closed his eyes in thought. "You should be especially glad that you don't forge evidence now. Oracle would surely expose the truth if they heard anything about corruption coming from your part of the office. I doubt that Oracle would care about you if you weren't being a bother, but you might still want to be on your guard in case something happens to go wrong at some point. Be cautious."

"I will," I nodded. "I just wish that we could talk to somebody who was in on it all... Even if it was just for a few minutes, a little bit of information on the subject could go a long way. I doubt that we'd be lucky enough to run into anyone like that though. It would take ages to have that sort of luck."

"She got away."

We turned to see Venus approaching us, a dark look in her eyes. She had her hands on her hips and a frown on her lips. "Ms. Burns managed to escape. I don't know how she could have gotten away, but sure enough, she did it. I haven't the slightest clue where she could have gotten off to. I was chasing her along with around three bailiffs, and yet, she slipped away... I wasn't planning on hurting her or anything. I just wanted to talk to her," Venus told us. She let out a sigh. "Now, I guess that's not going to be happening. Ms. Burns likely won't be appearing again in public under that name. There's got to be some other person that she's able to hide as, so she'll be as good as gone until we can figure out who that person is. Until then, all we can really do is wait and be careful."

"You're right," Cotoli agreed. "We can't get into too much trouble unless we want to invite Oracle to come to us, which likely isn't a good idea. Even if they're chaotic good, I don't know if I'd want to see them unless the circumstances called for it. I guess you could say that I'm a bit scared of running into them."

"I can't help but feel the same," I sighed. "There's nothing we can do about it now though. We can just leave the subject be until it comes up again. After this trial, the news is going to be buzzing nonstop about who Oracle could be. I doubt that anybody will figure it out. If they've stayed hidden so far, they'll be able to keep up the act for a little bit longer until this all blows over and they're just another face in the crowd. Nobody will even recognize them."

"That makes me wonder... If Oracle really does have other names, then maybe one of us has met them before. I mean, there's no way Oracle can get away with just having a single name and face out there. I think there has to be more than one, all of them contributing towards the bigger picture of exposure. Maybe they switch out between them from time to time. There didn't seem to be much background on Ms. Burns, which leads me to believe that she's not the real identity. There's another one, and once we can figure out who that is, we'll know Oracle for real," Venus said. "I don't know how we'll be able to tell who's real and who's not though... I mean, we couldn't even tell that Ms. Burns was Oracle during that trial. It would take a lot of investigation before we come across anything."

"I doubt that they'd help us, but maybe we could see about any potential accomplices... There would have to be somebody in there to help expose the forging prosecutors... I don't know if it would work though. For now, all we can do is see what we can hear," Cassidy remarked. "We should probably be heading home. Mom is going to get worried if Venus and I aren't home soon. Yuri is probably already freaking out. I don't think she knows that we had a trial today."

"I certainly didn't tell her. Trying to wake her up in the morning is a chore, so I didn't bother saying that I was going to be down here at the courthouse. Cassidy's right though. We should get going. We can talk about this more another time," Venus suggested. "See you guys later."

Venus and Cassidy both waved before walking off together. I turned to Cotoli. "What do you think of this whole situation so far? Do you think you have any ideas as to who it might be?" I asked. "Anything would be helpful at this point."

"Why do you want to find out who Oracle is so much all of a sudden? You've never shown an interest before," Cotoli commented.

"I guess I just want to see if I can help out at all. They're doing good work but don't get anything for it. I know it sounds ridiculous, but then again, you know what Polly says about me," I told him. "She thinks I do a lot of ridiculous things."

Cotoli let out a laugh. "You're nothing compared to my sisters and you know it. Speaking of them, I should head home. Chrysalis will most certainly panic if she sees that I'm not yet home when she returns from her musical rehearsal," he said. "I'll see you around."

I waved as he disappeared from view before heading for the doors myself. I really was curious about all of this, but I couldn't help the feeling that something about all of this was going to get us all into deep trouble...

**March 16**

**Morix Law Offices**

**10:00 AM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

The room was quiet for a moment after Cotoli finished explaining what had happened a year ago. I was fiddling with the sleeve of my sweater, which was something of a nervous habit of mine. I didn't know exactly how to respond to the silence from Deirdre and Lily. Yuri had heard this story before, just with less detail. I knew a lot of it, mostly thanks to the fact that I was able to push details from Cotoli and Venus, so I was used to it. Hearing it again was a bit jarring each time, but I was fine with it. I was mostly concerned about how Deirdre and Lily were going to react now that it had come to a close.

"I don't know what to say," Lily remarked, as if to point out what was obvious about the tense silence. "That sounds like it was quite the case."

Cotoli let out a small laugh. "You could certainly say that. It was the largest case at the time, being all over the news constantly. People were more than a bit excited to finally have at least a little something about our mysterious Oracle. Since then, we haven't learned anything else aside from the information regarding Venus a month ago. It's almost ironic that we were thinking about talking to an accomplice of Oracle, not knowing that Venus was standing right there. I wish we'd known back then. Venus hid it amazingly well. None of us suspected a thing was wrong. Looking back on it, we should have seen it coming though."

"Yeah. I mean, she was an accomplice, so she was able to help Ms. Burns get away from the bailiffs and from Mr. Asasm. The bailiffs likely would have been unhappy due to her 'thieving habits', but I somehow doubt there's ever been any major theft involved. It's not like Oracle goes around stealing cars for a living. God forbid somebody expose a corrupt prosecutor for forging evidence in a case," I said sarcastically. "I wish she'd come to us though... I can't even imagine how hard it must have been to keep a huge secret like that. I bet it was weighing down on her a lot, but she still hid it for the sake of Oracle."

"What do you think would happen if the public ever got a hold of Oracle's identity?" Deirdre questioned. "You seem more knowledgeable on the subject than I could ever hope to be. You two have been investigating Oracle for roughly a year, since that case, if I recall correctly."

"If the public ever heard, one of three things would happen, if not a combination," Cotoli began. "First, reporters would swarm them, so they'd have to hide under another name. They wouldn't ever be able to go back to their old life or do anything that might make others suspicious as to who they really are. Second, the people that have been making death threats would go after them. If they're trained killers like those in Occisor, the ending would be tragic within a matter of hours. Finally, they could be arrested for their 'crimes against the legal community' and sent to prison, though it's still debatable if they're really doing a bad thing. If you ask me, revealing that there's a ring of dark dealings is a good thing, but others still find them to be nothing more than a criminal. It's all about perspective, it seems. If one of you is to ever learn who Oracle really is, please come to me about it, but also keep it hidden. We won't learn anything new if you go out and expose Oracle right off the bat. We just want to hear a bit more on the situation, not make their life a living hell for the rest of their days."

"I understand," I nodded. "Are there any other thoughts on the situation? Any other inklings regarding who Oracle might really be behind the mask?"

"I talked with my brother for a little while a month ago, back when the murder of Venus was being wrapped up. He said that he didn't know very much about the witness, Shayla Willows, and that her activities only seemed to start two years ago. He said that she was likely the Oracle of the Law in the flesh, but she had fooled us all with her performance. I must say, whoever this Oracle is, they do know how to keep their cover up," Lily said. "I can't really tell you much beside that. We don't have anything concrete that could point to who Oracle is behind the mask nor can we say conclusively that Ms. Willows has anything to do with it. For all we know, it could just be a coincidence that everything for her booted up about the same time as Oracle. I guess we'll never know."

I looked to Cotoli, my eyes wide in shock. He seemed to be just as surprised. I had heard a little bit about Venus' murder case, but I wasn't there to see it. I had been at home crying my eyes out over her death, too upset to even leave my room. Venus and I had been close for ages now, first meeting a few months before the factory murder where Cotoli's mother died, which supposedly started the Oracle project. I had considered her my best friend, but now that she was gone...

"You really think that Ms. Willows was Oracle?" Cotoli asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. "How is that possible? She didn't seem to be suspicious at all. Nothing she did at all gave off the signs of her being Oracle. What made him think that she was so strange? I didn't see anything off about her during the trial."

"He just said that she was bugging him for some reason. I guess it was his gut instincts. I'm not objecting though. Now that I know the truth, I can see about talking to her next time that I see her," Lily said. "I mean, I don't know what else to do with this sort of information. This is a huge revelation. I don't know how we could just leave it be, if you want the truth. It's amazing. Somebody who seemed to be normal is really just Oracle with a new name and face."

"I don't think that you should go after her," I frowned. "Oracle is dangerous. Even if they don't hurt people on their own, who knows what sort of other people are out there to come after you should you find out? This is risky. Anybody could get hurt if they learned the truth. Staying away from Oracle seems to be the best option. I know that I don't know you all very well yet, but I don't want anything to happen that could leave you hurt. You don't want that either. Oracle's involvement in Venus' life got her killed. She died because of this damn spy. I don't want anybody else to meet that same fate. If anybody suspects that you're even involved, you could be cut down. This isn't some simple game to play. I'm not going to have you all treating it as something that easy to pass off."

"I understand that it's risky, but there has to be something that we can do about this. Aren't you at least a little bit curious about Oracle and what else their project might entail?" Lily asked. "It might be dangerous, sure, but I don't want to let somebody who seems to be doing good things suffer this way."

"Let them suffer. For crying out loud, they get people killed. Mr. Blocker died for knowing about Oracle. Venus was murdered for being involved. Oracle doesn't just keep to themselves. Those around them are brought pain as well. You don't deserve a fate like that. You'll only get hurt. It's best if you just stay away. Leave Oracle be. Please." I was practically begging at this point for them to back off this. Didn't they understand? Even if they were new to the legal world, they had to comprehend the danger that came with all this. It was like inviting agony to their doorsteps, and yet, they still wanted to persist? What was wrong with them? This was nothing to joke about, but here we were. I couldn't believe I was having to persuade fully grown adults away from something like this.

"I guess that it is dangerous," Lily sighed. "But we'll be okay. We're stronger than you realize. Everything will be fine. I promise. Don't worry about us."

I let out a sigh. "If you say so," I muttered, though I knew it was clear that I wasn't happy to be letting this go. Cotoli shot me a sympathetic glance.

"I want to know about what got my sister killed," Yuri said firmly. "She didn't deserve to die. I need to know who brought this about, who made her suffer so much before her death. Keeping this in must have been killing her inside, and in the end... It cost Venus her life. I need to know the truth, Chrysalis."

"Alright... But if you see anything you feel is going to put you at risk, please come to me. I don't want you to suffer the way she did before her death. Can you at least promise me that?" I asked of her, my eyes downcast. "I won't try to stop you further, but... I do want to be there for you to talk to if you need it."

"I promise," Yuri nodded. "Don't worry about me. I'll find this Oracle and hear the truth about what happened between them and Venus. After that, I'll think over if I need to take any other form of action. If I think I do, I'll do something, but if not... I guess I can say that I'm carrying on Venus' legacy so that she can rest in peace. I don't want her tossing and turning in the afterlife because Oracle isn't doing what she would have wanted, you know? This is all for her. I'm sure that you of all people can appreciate that. I mean, we all know exactly how you felt about her. I won't go around saying anything, but..."

I felt my face go red with heat. "W-We're done having this discussion," I stammered. "We should probably get to work for the day anyways. We all have things to do. There's paperwork to fill out from yesterday's case and other things to finish up before we can continue this. Let's get to it before you say something that you're going to regret. How does that sound?"

"Fine with me," Yuri shrugged. "I'm looking forward to agency work after spending that time in the detention center. That place sucks."

**March 16**

**Morix Law Offices**

**9:00 PM**

**Cotoli Morix**

Once everybody had left the agency, I sat down on my bed in the back room where Chrysalis and I stayed. We had just gotten back from dinner after having been out late due to traffic issues. Chrysalis ended up plopping down on her bed and closing her eyes. She was sound asleep within a few minutes, not even bothering to change out of her daytime clothing. I didn't pester her about it. I knew that she could use the rest after all the work we had been doing today.

I picked up my cell phone and began to dial a number into it. I knew the number by heart, not even needing to go into my contacts to check it out. I pressed the call button and let it ring for a few moments. The ringing stopped, so I knew somebody was on the other side. "Hello?" I asked into the speaker.

 _"Cotoli!"_ Sora was on the other end, which I have to admit surprised me. I had called Ghastly, but she had been the one to pick up. In all fairness, I should have seen it coming. Sora and Ghastly had been living together for around a year now with their recently adoptive daughter, a young woman named Niamh Wood. If anybody besides Ghastly was going to be picking up his phone, it would be Sora. She was glued by the hip to him when they were at home due to her motherly tendencies.  _"You're here for Ghastly, aren't you? I mean, you called his phone, so you have to be wanting to talk to him... I can go get him if you want."_

"Please do," I told her. "I need to tell him about what I did today. I think that he'll want to hear about it. We can talk about it a bit later though, if you want."

 _"Sounds good to me."_ Sora called out for Ghastly, her voice distant. Not long after, I heard the sound of footsteps in the background.  _"Okay, I have him."_

"Thank you," I smiled. The phone was passed over. Once it had changed hands, I heard a small grunt from Ghastly followed by a yawn. He was tired, which was nothing new. He loved his sleep. "Hey, Ghastly. There's a little something that I think you should know about today. Do you have the time to talk?"

 _"Yeah, sure,"_  Ghastly said. He yawned once again.  _"What's going on? I didn't expect to get a call from you this late. I thought you'd already be asleep."_

"Not yet," I shrugged. "I needed to talk to you. Could you find somewhere isolated? I don't want your daughter to hear anything. This is best kept private."

Ghastly seemed to be able to sense the seriousness of the situation, so he went to another location. I assumed that he was hiding in the bathroom. He did that a lot when he was having an important conversation with me. It had only become a habit of his recently. When it had been just him and Sora, that sort of thing hadn't been necessary, but now that Niamh was around, there were a few things he needed to keep from her. She was only fourteen, so he didn't want to stress her out. Between being a prosecuting prodigy and going to school, she had enough on her mind already.  _"What's up?"_  Ghastly asked from the other end.

"I told all my new employees about the case from a year ago," I explained. "They wanted to know after the murder at the prison. The killer went on a tangent about being involved with last year's murder when Jackson Blocker was killed. I went on and explained it, but... I had to hide a few details, if you know what I mean. I don't want them to get too deeply involved with the situation. Chrysalis was near losing her cool afterwards when they said they wanted to investigate. I can tell that it's going to be for the best if we keep the truth about Oracle from them. I don't want them getting hurt in the process trying to look into it."

Ghastly was quiet for a moment.  _"I see,"_  he said curtly.  _"You just wanted to warn me about that? You didn't want me to get all panicky if they started asking questions? That's just like you, worrying about everybody. You're too kind, thinking of me this way. What a sweet little lawyer. This is why we love you."_

My face went red at his comment. "Yeah... I wanted to warn you about it. If they get too deep into this, I don't know how things will go. They may go south. I don't want that to happen. Keep your secrets close here. Venus has already died over it. I don't want to lose you too because of Oracle. We still have a few things to do. Getting taken down because of this situation won't do us any good. Remember, we still have to find-"

 _"I remember,"_  Ghastly cut in.  _"It'll be fine. Thanks for calling me."_

"No problem," I nodded. "I'll talk to you another time. See you around, Ghastly. Tell Sora goodnight for me. She'll hold it over my head forever if I don't tell you to say something to her after we talked earlier. Give your daughter my greetings as well, even if she doesn't know me quite as well.""

 _"Got it,"_ Ghastly said.  _"See you."_

I hung up and let out a sigh as my phone powered itself off. I had gone into this story thinking that everything would be fine, but now that it had been wrapped up... I couldn't help but think that this would result in disaster.

**THE DISASTROUS TURNABOUT**

**END**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're slowly hacking through this. Nice. 
> 
> I'm a fifth of the way through the last case as far as typing is concerned. It should be finished up on April 11th because that's the fourth anniversary of this series and I have to honor it. However, I'm getting ahead of myself. Now that we're done with case three, we get to case four. Let's have one of the few cases in existence (canon or fan made) in Ace Attorney that are drownings! Yay! Seriously though, has that ever happened in an AA case? If it did, I must not remember. This next case is where we meet some plot important characters as well as some of my favorite characters (you'll definitely know when they show up because I'll spend the author's note squealing about how they've finally shown up). Plus, we get Chrysalis content, which is always appreciated given how she barely shows up in this. Oops. 
> 
> Okay, that's enough ranting for now. Time to go and beat chapter 19x of Fire Emblem Blazing Sword. I've put it off long enough. 
> 
> -Digital


	21. Turnabout on the Waves, Part 1

"You seem to know quite a bit about all this Oracle business, don't you, good sir?

_"Y-Yes, I suppose I do."_

"If you don't mind my asking, could you tell me a little about it? I want to hear about your thoughts. After all that's happened since last January, I'm looking into the matter as well. I want to know all that you can tell me about Oracle. Can you do that?

_"I-I can... Ah, but first... I require something in return, if you don't mind."_

"Oh? What is it?"

_"If you'll just allow me to..."_

_*SPLASH*_

"Or we could do this. Things are a lot simpler now, wouldn't you say? Now, let's just go on and get into that bag..."

**May 29**

**Morix Law Offices**

**9:45 AM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

I was stretched out on the couch in the main room of the agency, the TV playing in the background. I was reading through a few old short stories that I had written around two years ago. A lot had changed since those days, it seemed. Most were fictional, but the few that weren't had figures that I was familiar with. I won't bore you with the details, but to say the least, they were always a bit peculiar. My writing back in those days wasn't necessarily the best, but I could grin and bear it to find the content I was searching for. There wasn't much to do in the agency these days due to a general lack of crime, so all of us were left fumbling to find anything to fill our time with. For me, that consisted of looking back on times a few years before since there wasn't much else to do.

"A murder has been reported at the lake in town. A body was found drifting out into the center of the lake. The police that arrived on the scene confirmed the victim was dead. A murder investigation is currently underway. The suspect is a young woman in her early twenties who was said to have met up with the victim earlier on the day of the murder at a boat race out on the lake. The race has since ended, but you can't help but wonder if maybe she tossed the man into the water for some reason... Her name is Neptune Mercure. She is currently in police custody on suspect of murder. No attorney has been chosen yet, but the prosecutor is a young prodigy showing what she can do for the first time. The Chief Prosecutor himself recommended her for this case."

I sat up at hearing all this. For one, hearing the name 'Neptune' reminded me of Venus. They were both planets, so can you really blame me? Even after all this time, I still couldn't forget about the case, no matter how hard I tried. If Lily was right about the witness being Oracle, then I had a bone to pick with her.

The next thing of note was that Ghastly had suggested a prosecuting prodigy work on the case. That had to be his adopted daughter. We had met a few times before when I went over to the house he shared with my older sister, but we rarely said much to each other. She was a freshman at the same high school where I was a junior (or had been this past year), so we spotted each other in the halls from time to time, but no words were ever exchanged. If she was on this case, Ghastly had to be pretty confident in her. I had heard from Sora before that she had about as much self-esteem as I did, which is to say that there's barely any of it. If this case was really so simple as the reporter on TV was making it sound, perhaps there was some sort of confidence that she could gain...

The phone rang to snap me out of my thoughts. I got up from my place on the couch to where it was sitting on the nearby counter. Since Venus could no longer work here, we didn't have anybody to manage the front desk, nor did Cotoli want to hire anyone to do so. He was still getting to know and trust our newer employees, so he didn't want to throw anybody else into the mix until he was sufficiently prepared. I couldn't blame him. Because of the fact that we were lacking in a secretary, however, we had a new phone system. Previously, just the one working the front desk had a phone that one could contact with the agency's number, but we've since gotten a set of house phones to station around the agency for easier access. I picked up the nearest one and checked to see if I knew the number. I didn't know it, but I still shrugged and answered. There was always the chance it would be a client. "Hello?" I asked into the speaker.

"Is this Morix Law Offices?" the voice on the other end asked. It was rough, loud, and masculine. I found myself flinching and yanking the phone away from my ear with the noise. Whoever it was on the other side needed to learn how to speak a little bit softer, that was for sure...

"Um... Yes," I said. "Why do you ask?"

"You sound a bit young to be a lawyer," the gruff person sighed. "Get a real lawyer on the phone, will ya, kiddo?"

I let out an angry huff. "I am an assistant here at Morix Law Offices. I deserve just as much respect as our courtroom representatives. Tell me, what do you need?" I asked, almost tempted to just hang up the phone. Unfortunately, that wouldn't give us a good reputation, so I would have to deal with it.

"Somebody at the detention center wants a real lawyer from your agency to come and defend her in court. Her name is Neptune Mercure. If you're going to take the case, get down here soon. We might have to hand it off to a state lawyer if none of you come." The line went dead not long after, which made me sigh. I didn't know who this guy was, and though I probably wouldn't ever see him again, I wasn't exactly a fan of him. I decided not to let it bother me though. I mean, the only person I'm going to let be mean to me is me. He doesn't have an ounce of power over me. Out of spite, I was going to go and grab somebody and take on the case. I didn't know who to bring along. I mean, I wasn't quite the closest with Deirdre despite our time on a case together the month before. Cotoli was the obvious choice since he had practically raised me for over ten years now, but at the same time, I probably needed to get closer with Lily...

Speaking of Lily, she walked into the room as if on cue. "I heard the phone was ringing," she said, noticing that I was holding the device in my hand. "What was it about? Was it spam or do we have an actual case?"

"We have a case," I told her. I set the phone back into its cradle and went for the couch, picking up my bag. "One Neptune Mercure wants us to come and defend her. I'm not entirely sure how she managed to hear about our agency. We aren't exactly the most well-known in town, especially not when you have Blocker Law to contend with, but I suppose that if it'll get us a job, I can go along with it. Come on. We should head down to the detention center."

"Blocker Law?" Lily echoed. "That place is still open? I would have thought it to be closed after the owner died last year. Did somebody else take up the job of leading the agency?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I don't know who though. I haven't been there since before the incident. I doubt I'll be going there for a while anyways, so it's fine. The point is, we have to go and defend our client. Her name is Neptune Mercure. I heard about the case on TV. It took place at a lake near here after a boat race. The details were kept out of the report for obvious reasons about the public knowing too much, but those are the basics. I bet that this Neptune woman can tell us a bit more about the case when we see her. She's bound to know at least twice as much as I do, so that should help us out at least a little bit on the matter."

"Then let's go on and get going," Lily said. "We should probably leave a note for Deirdre, Yuri, and Mr. Morix though. We don't want them to freak out when they notice that we're not here."

"Cotoli will flip if he thinks I just left randomly. He's always been something of a protective brother. That's probably putting it lightly, truth be told. I'll send him a text. He'll be fine after." I pulled my cell phone from my bag and shot Cotoli a quick message about going out on the case. He didn't see it immediately after I sent it, but he'd notice soon enough, which was good enough for me. "We should go to the detention center before hitting the crime scene. We'll need as much prior knowledge as possible before diving into this investigation. Plus, the man on the phone said that if we didn't arrive soon, the case would go to a lawyer from the state. If our client specifically requested us, then she'd undoubtedly be upset if we didn't end up showing. It's not like we have anything better to do."

"Alright." Lily opened up the door and gestured for me to go through it. I nodded before leaving the room and heading for the stairs down the hall. After two and a half months of no cases, this was already rather refreshing. I preferred investigating to sitting around in boredom for sure.

**May 29**

**Detention Center**

**10:15 AM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

When we arrived at the detention center, there was already a young woman sitting on the other side of the glass. She had dark brown hair that fell down her back in puffy curls. She had blue streaks in her hair on either side that were tied together at the back of her head. She was wearing black leggings and black boots. A blue, green, and turquoise shirt that faded between colors was hidden beneath a black jacket that flopped over her wrists. White gloves covered up her hands and fingers. She was tapping on the table in front of her aimlessly as her blue eyes stared off into space. They contrasted greatly with her tanned skin.

Wow, she looked a lot like Venus.

I mean, I had seen people that looked like my best friend before, but the resemblance here was crazy. Not even Yuri or Cassidy looked as similar to Venus as this woman did. She seemed to be a few years older, at least judging from the exhaustion in her eyes, but they looked alike nonetheless.

"You two must be the lawyers," the woman said, snapping out of her daze. She stopped tapping on the table and stretched her arms up. "I was almost thinking nobody was going to show. I told the guards here to contact somebody about an attorney yesterday, but I didn't hear a thing about anybody coming by."

"We didn't get a call until just this morning," I explained. "Sorry about that. At least we're here now, right?"

"It's fine," she shrugged. "My name is Neptune Mercure. You two are from Morix Law Offices, right? I requested that I get somebody from there, so..."

"Yes, we are workers there," Lily said. "My name is Lily Shield. This is Chrysalis Starr. If you'll have us, we'll be defending you in court."

"I'd like that. I don't have anybody to defend me yet. No lawyers have come by at all, like I mentioned before. Plus, I hear that your agency is pretty good. I think I can trust you guys to get me a not guilty sentence. I heard your agency has a thing for trusting clients. Is that correct?" Neptune asked of us.

"Yeah. My brother, the owner, always has faith in who he defends. It's kind of his thing," I told her. "I just wonder how you heard of our little agency. I mean, it's not like everybody knows us all that well. Our biggest accomplishments had to do with that murder involving the Oracle of the Law last year."

"That's actually how I heard of you guys. I heard other people saying that you're pretty good at what you do, so I looked into you guys online. You seem to be honest people, so I decided to have you guys come in. There are other agencies in town that are a little bit larger, but the bigger they are, the more room there is for corruption. You never know what sort of dark secrets are hiding behind closed doors with those bigger offices, you know?" Neptune sighed. "Well, now that we've gotten the formalities out of the way, I should probably tell you about the murder and all that jazz. You'll want to hear about that, am I right?"

"You got it We didn't hear anything about the case before we got the phone call," I frowned. "Anything you can tell us would be appreciated, Neptune."

"The murder took place on a lake near here. It was after a boat race that the body was found. This was yesterday, by the way," Neptune began. "I was there to go and find somebody. You see, I have something of an interest in the Oracle of the Law. I heard that an investigator was going to be there. I was going to talk to him about the Oracle case in hopes that he'd be able to tell me something about it. That guy ended up being the victim later on in the day."

"Sounds like your meeting didn't exactly go as expected," Lily said. "Do you know anything else about the murder that we might find helpful?"

"The victim seemed to have a bit of a gambling habit. He liked to make bets at races and such on who would win, which earned him a bit of a negative reputation fro the debt that he's gathered up. He's a generally unpleasant man, but he gets the job done. I was hoping to have a quick little chat with him and then call it good, but when we did cross paths... I'll just say that it wasn't pretty. I knew that he wasn't the nicest of people, but he instantly seemed to want to start an argument," Neptune went on. "I wanted to just walk away, but if I wanted information, I didn't exactly have that option. It was really irritating."

"He really doesn't sound agreeable... What did he want to argue about?" I asked. "Was it to do with Oracle or was something else on his mind that day?"

"He insisted on looking through my evidence bag. I didn't want to let him since that's sort of my personal stuff. He kept on pushing it no matter how many times I said no. After a while, I got frustrated and walked off. He yelled something about how I could have been 'his little sweetheart' if I had just gone along. I was nothing short of disgusted, so I... I may or may not have given him the finger and gone out to my car," Neptune said, contorting her face to show regret. "That was the last time I saw him alive. He was all grouchy when we parted ways since I rejected him so many times. Can you blame me? All he wanted to do was dig through my bag. We had been talking for a whole two minutes and he felt entitled to do something like that. Anybody would get a bit angry at that."

"I bet that made you really uncomfortable," I muttered. "What exactly is your alleged motive for this case? Have the police come up with anything yet?"

"It has to do with my bag, believe it or not. When I went out to my car, I started talking to my friend. Her name is Cassidy Rinko. She had gone with me to go and talk to him as backup in case I needed it. We ended up separating upon arrival since she didn't want to be in the crowd of the race. She's a little bit claustrophobic, so she didn't want to end up having a panic attack because of the tight space," Neptune said. "I told her about what had happened with the victim. After that, we started to get into my car. I realized that I had set down my bag at my feet just outside the car since it goes over one shoulder and can get a bit heavy. I went to grab it and noticed it was gone. I began to freak out, scrambling to go find it. Cassidy and I split up to go and search for it. When we finally did find it... The victim was bobbing in the water, having been drowned to death. My bag was on the shore a few feet away from the corpse."

"That certainly sounds incriminating," Lily frowned. "What specific motive did they come up with for you? Was it because he took your bag from you?"

"Yeah. The police think that I had something important in there that he wanted, so he came up when I wasn't watching and took it. I went to go get it back, according to them, which is when I got murderous and decided to just kill him. I mean, I don't know why anybody would want to do that. Why not just go and talk to an officer on duty and say that your stuff was taken by a guy? You could get your stuff back and get him arrested for theft. The logic here is just nonexistent." Neptune let out a sigh. "The point is, they think I did it when I didn't. I'm going to need your help to get out of this situation."

"We can head to the crime scene to investigate soon. Do you have anything else to tell us before we head down there though?" I questioned of her.

"For one, be careful when talking to Cassidy. I heard she was a bit shaken up after what happened. It might take a little bit to open up to you guys, but I'm sure that she'll gladly talk if you say that I sent you guys. Do either of you know her?" Neptune questioned. "Her last name is Rinko like I mentioned a bit earlier."

"Yeah, I know her," I nodded. "Her younger sister currently works at our law firm. Her deceased older sister used to be with us as well before she passed on earlier this year. I've been close with their family for a few years now. I shouldn't have any issues getting her to talk to us about the case."

"I'm glad to hear it," Neptune smiled. "She's a sweet girl, but she can get a bit nervous at times. She's got a small issue with anxiety that keeps her from interacting with very many people. She seemed almost afraid of me back when we first met, though obviously things are different now. We've been close for a few months now. Come to think of it, she has mentioned a Chrysalis a few times... That must be you. That name isn't exactly common, so that has to be it."

"You're probably right," I affirmed. "I've been friends with Cassidy for a few years now, two to be exact. She's pretty sweet. If she's at all feeling unnerved because of what happened, I'll be sure to calm her down. Don't worry about her being all worked up. I can handle this until you reunite with her soon."

"Thank you." Neptune nodded with a small smile. "I should probably let you two go on and investigate. I don't want to keep you or anything like that."

"When we're almost done, we can come back here and tell you what we've found if you want," Lily offered. "I bet you'll want to hear about it, right?"

"That would be great," Neptune grinned. "Until then, I wish you luck. I'll see you soon enough."

Neptune was escorted from the room by the guard not long after. Lily and I didn't need to say anything as we headed out to the car to go to the lake for our investigation. This was where things got interesting.

**May 29**

**Rhiza Lake**

**11:15 AM**

**Lily Shield**

The crime scene was overrun with police, but by telling people that we were the lawyers of Ms. Mercure, we were able to get through security rather easily. A few people pointed us in the right direction towards the body when we said that we needed it. If all police at crime scenes were this helpful, this job wouldn't be as hard as I thought. Robbie had told me before that one of the hardest things for a lawyer is just trying to get authorization for the crime scene. Prosecutors can be a bit stingy with it, apparently. I didn't know who was on this case, but I hoped that my opponent would be kind to me when we crossed paths.

"Lily!"

I turned over my shoulder upon hearing the voice. To my surprise, Robbie was approaching, a small smile on his face. There was a man standing next to him that I didn't recognize. He didn't exactly look happy, so I made a small mental note to be careful about talking to him. I didn't want him getting mad at me.

He had short white hair with fringe that curled to the left. His skin was tanned. He had... He had eyes, but I can't say what color they were since he was wearing sunglasses over the top of them. He had a black leather jacket on with a gray shirt beneath it. His trousers were black and made of leather like his jacket was. He had on black boots. I have to admit, with the way he was dressing, it wouldn't surprise me if other people mistook him for a gangster from time to time.

"Hey, Robbie!" I chirped once my brother was nearby. "Are you the prosecutor on this case? I mean, I can't think of any other reason why you'd be here..."

"I am," Robbie nodded. "Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said he wanted me and Prosecutor Cruz to get a bit closer on this case. I don't know what exactly he's planning, but I doubt it's good. He's a bit of a unique character. That's probably putting it lightly, if you want the truth... He's strange, to put it nicely."

"I thought Niamh Wood was going to be on this case," Chrysalis remarked. "I heard about it on the news that a prosecuting prodigy was supposed to be working on this murder. Did something change to take her off?"

"She ended up getting anxious about it and backed off. She wants a case where somebody can support her instead of throwing her into the fray alone," Robbie explained. "Speaking of prosecutors, perhaps you should introduce yourself, Prosecutor Cruz. I don't think you've met these two."

The white-haired man, who I assumed was 'Prosecutor Cruz' removed his sunglasses to show that he did in fact have eyes. His irises were a delicate purple color that really contrasted with his whole biker gang look. With those sorts of eyes, he seemed to be a bit too gentle to actually fight somebody in the middle of a gang fight. I felt an odd sense of relief. Thank the heavens that Robbie's partner wasn't a gangster. He could have fooled me. "Prosecutor Vito Cruz here," the man said, crossing his arms. "You two must be the lawyers. How do you know Prosecutor Shield here? I'm curious about that."

"Robbie here is my big brother," I explained to him. "My name is Lily Shield. Chrysalis here is my assistant for this case. We've taken up the defense of Neptune Mercure to prove that she didn't commit this murder." I turned to Robbie next as Prosecutor Cruz put on his sunglasses once again. "Could you tell us anything about the murder? I heard a little bit of what happened from Ms. Mercure, but I could use a little more information to properly make my case."

I was lucky Robbie loved me so much. Most prosecutors would laugh in my face at those words, but he didn't seem to mind. He nodded and crossed his arms, which made him look a bit like Prosecutor Cruz in a way. "What do you want to know?" he questioned of me, raising an eyebrow in curiosity my direction.

"We heard from Neptune that she's being suspected of this crime over the bag that she was carrying around," Chrysalis began to say. "What can you say about that? She told us that the victim seemed to want to get his hands on her bag and went to extensive lengths to get it. Is that what you heard as well?"

"Yes. It's also what gave us our motive idea," Robbie said. "If her bag was really as important to her as she was making it sound, then one might be able to argue that she would even go to the lengths of murder to get it back. She made it seem to us that there was something vital inside of it. When we searched through it, we didn't find very much, but there were a few things of note. She had some case files regarding the Oracle of the Law in her bag. Her wallet was in there as well with her ID inside one of the pockets. The most interesting thing would have to be the photo that was in the side pocket though."

"I thought that you looked familiar," Prosecutor Cruz grumbled. I looked up with confusion written on my face. Surprisingly, he wasn't addressing me. Instead, his eyes were on Chrysalis, who seemed to be equally shocked. "I think you were in the photo found in her bag, if you can believe it. Where is the damn thing?"

Prosecutor Cruz began to rustle through his evidence. Once he found what he was searching for, he held up a small picture. He handed it over to me when Robbie gave him the nod of approval. It was small and rather nice, I had to say, like whoever owned it was keeping it safe and in good shape.

The picture had eight people on it. The first one I noticed was Mr. Morix, who had one hand on Chrysalis' shoulder. Next to him was a young woman I recognized as Venus Rinko. She had her arm wrapped around Chrysalis' back. On the other side of Chrysalis, a white-haired girl (who I guessed was Cassidy Rinko after hearing Mr. Morix's description of her during his summary of last year's murder) had her hands on her hips. She had a small smile on her face. Prosecutor Bloom was standing next to Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. A woman with turquoise hair was beside him. Another person I didn't recognize, a man with an eyepatch, was standing beside her, hands in his pockets. All of them seemed to be smiling at the camera that was taking this picture.

The woman had aqua twin ponytails with pink streaks inside of them. Her blonde bangs swept to one side. She had a white transparent shirt that read 'PEACE' on over a black camisole. Her jeans started teal at the top and faded to pink. She had black ankle boots on. Her eyes were a bright blue color.

As for the man, he had brown hair that fell over his ears and forehead. His eyepatch was red, the same color as his visible eye. He had a black shirt with lengthy sleeves with matching trousers. His shoes were dark and dressy. A katana was strapped to his belt in its sheath, though I hadn't the slightest clue why he had such a thing in a photo like this. It seemed to be rather casual, so you wouldn't expect to see somebody with a sword.

"What is this photo about?" I asked Chrysalis, turning to face her. "And who are those two?" I pointed to the man and woman.

"My brother and sister," Chrysalis responded simply. "This picture was taken around two years ago. It was just after the murder case Occisor mentioned a while back. It later came to be known as GC-9. After everything seemed to be over, we got a group picture taken of everyone available at the time. It isn't anything important... But I do wonder why it was in Neptune's bag... I mean, there weren't many copies of this made, nor were any broadcasted to the public..."

"That's strange," I muttered. I was already getting the feeling this case was going to be harder than I had anticipated.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have another case! I'm pretty excited for it, as I mentioned in the last update (or a few updates ago I can't remember). 
> 
> We also have Neptune in this case. High quality girl. Appreciated girl. We love her. 
> 
> -Digital


	22. Turnabout on the Waves, Part 2

**May 29**

**Rhiza Lake**

**11:25 AM**

**Lily Shield**

"I have a quick question, if you don't mind my asking," Chrysalis piped in a few seconds later, acting as if our chat about the photo had never happened.

"What's on your mind?" Robbie asked. He didn't seem to be openly competitive or hostile like he was with others. I bet that it was because she was with me. I had seen him in court against lawyers before. Let me tell you, he can get downright terrifying at times if you get on his bad side, so definitely avoid doing that.

"You're the prosecutors on the case, so you know where the crime scene is. If you would be so kind, could you show us there?" she asked of him.

Prosecutor Cruz opened his mouth to object, but Robbie cut him off. "Right this way." At this point, I was sure that he wouldn't be this nice under other circumstances. He had this whole bad boy image going on that he did his best to keep up where possible. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't do such a thing around me. If he tried, I would usually expose him for the softie that he really is. I guess he's just given up attempting it at this point. I don't blame him.

Prosecutor Cruz and Robbie took us over to a nearby area closer to the shore of the lake. A body was drifting in the water facedown. The man wore a dark coat that floated around him aimlessly. His dark brown hair was soaked. Truth be told, nothing about the scene seemed strange. It looked like just a normal drowning case, if you can even call that normal. There wasn't any other evidence floating about in the water for us to examine, which definitely meant that we had our work cut out for us if we wanted to prove that Ms. Mercure wasn't the killer. There had to be something of note around here for us to pick up...

"This isn't even the weirdest part," groaned Prosecutor Cruz. "You'd expect that photo to be the strangest part about this, but you'd be wrong. It's not normal for someone to have a photo on them of people they don't seem to know. However, this case just loves to get worse and worse, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Chrysalis asked. "Was there another piece of evidence at the scene of the murder that you picked up earlier or something?"

"You could say that," Robbie said awkwardly. He reached into his pocket and fished out a small photo. His face was bright red as he shoved the photo my direction. I had no idea what in the world this could be of to make him get so flustered. Robbie didn't get embarrassed about anything. I'd known him my whole life. Never before had he given into that sort of behavior. It really did make a girl wonder what in the world was going on in this case...

Chrysalis took the photo from him and flipped it over so the image was facing her. Her eyes instantly went wide. She flipped the photo back over and shook her head. "I'd rather not," she mumbled, giving the picture to me. "This has got to be some sort of joke. There is no way that something like that was found at the crime scene, right?"

"You have me a bit worried now," I said nervously. I almost didn't want to turn over the photo to see what it showed if it was making everybody else get so worked up. "It couldn't possibly be that bad. I mean, there's a dead body right in front of us, but it seems that this photo is causing even more stress."

Against my better judgement, I turned over the photo. My eyes instantly went wide. I let out a sigh. "Oh," I said simply, unable to think of anything else.

The picture was of a bra sitting on the shore of the lake. It had huge cups that might fit my head. It was lacy and seemed rather expensive. I couldn't help but just blink in confusion at it. Why had this been found at the crime scene? Why was it here? Was this really necessary to do, Killer Person?

"It was found on the shore of the lake when we arrived. We didn't know what else to do with it, so we had forensics go to take a look at it," sighed Robbie. "We haven't gotten any results back yet. Things aren't looking good as of now. Forensics is saying that the chances of finding something are slim. There were no hairs found stuck on the clasps or anything like that. There really isn't all that much we can do with it if there's nothing found on it."

"Do I even want to know why this was here?" I questioned. "I don't think I do."

"None of us do," Prosecutor Cruz huffed. "God, whoever did this is going to get it after this is over..."

"So all of us are all embarrassed now because a bra was found at the crime scene. This case is already shaping up to be messy," Chrysalis mumbled with a small shake of her head. "The least we can do is look around the crime scene a little bit more. There has to be something around here for us to look at in detail."

"Good luck finding anything," Robbie remarked with a frown. "The police came up empty-handed as far as evidence is concerned. There's no murder weapon since this was a drowning. Nothing else of note was found around here either. It's a miracle we even managed to find somebody to suspect."

"Let's look around, Lily," Chrysalis told me, nudging my arm gently. "We can at least see for ourselves, wouldn't you agree?"

"We'll leave you to it," Robbie said. "We have some other things to attend to anyways. Shout if you need anything, Lily."

I nodded. "Got it, Robbie," I smiled. I waved as he and Prosecutor Cruz walked away. I swear, if I didn't already know that they were prosecutors, I would have thought they were part of a gang. What is it with prosecutors and looking like gangsters? I mean, you've got these two and Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. There are probably others too. Prosecutor Bloom looks a bit dark and shadowy. Are we sure that the Prosecutor's Office isn't just a cult funded by the government?

Chrysalis and I walked over to the body. It was bobbing aimlessly in the water for the most part, but there was a rope around one ankle that kept the corpse from drifting away. The rope connected to a nearby pole that was sticking up from a dock. I bet that boats were usually tied to it when a race was going on, but since there was nothing big happening, it was left abandoned. From what I could tell, this area was far from the rest of the lake, secluded in comparison to other sections. This dock wasn't quite as large, which meant that not many people could be on it at once. That surely was a contributing factor to its abandonment.

"Like they mentioned earlier, there was no weapon used in this case. It's not like you can use something to drown anyone anyways. You just need water for that," Chrysalis said. "All the killer really had to do was get him near the lake, push him in, and hold him down. The air loss would have killed him. If that didn't work, the water entering his lungs would have had some bad effects. He wouldn't be alive for very long after it all ended. In a way, it's a bit of a perfect crime."

"What makes you say that?" I asked. "No crime can really be perfect. There has to be some trace of evidence left behind, like the... Unique bra we saw."

"I mean that since there's no weapon, no fingerprints can be left on it. The weapon is often the downfall of many criminals when the trial rolls around. Without one involved, a criminal won't have to worry about it. The job is taken care of without anything that can become an issue," Chrysalis told me. "It's a bit situational though. You don't see many drownings these days. It's not very easy to get somebody over near water to kill them off. You need a large body of water to do it well anyways. A bucket isn't exactly reliable since it can be tipped over and provide an opportunity for escape."

"With nothing left at the crime scene, we don't have much to go off," I frowned. "I mean, there's no murder weapon for us to turn against the killer. It looks like they covered their tracks pretty well too. Unless we can make heads or tails out of that bra, which we have no explanation for, we're screwed tomorrow."

"If you ask me, that means that our killer isn't Neptune," Chrysalis remarked. "I feel like that thing is way too big for her. It's an uncomfortable subject, I know, but... It doesn't seem to fit her. If it doesn't fit, it points to her not being the killer, which works in our favor. We just need to figure out who did wear it."

"I guess it could really be anyone... Do you think Cassidy would be able to wear it?" I questioned. "You've seen her a lot more than I have, so you know better."

"No way. Cassidy is really petite. Just the measure around the chest is at least four inches too large if you ask me. She's a bit smaller than I am in stature, if that's any indication," Chrysalis responded. "We need to try and find her if we can. She's bound to be around here somewhere. She can't just witness a crime and then run off without a word. I bet somebody is questioning her now, though I can't say that for sure. We should see if she's available after we're done here. With how our progress is going right now, it won't be much longer until we've wrapped things up. I must say, this has got to be the most barebones crime scene that I have ever investigated, which is saying quite a bit. Whoever killed the victim did a good job at covering up their tracks. Even the one piece of evidence they did leave behind could easily be interpreted as belonging to anyone. It puts us at what seems to be square one, which is really unfortunate."

"Let's go talk to the detective on the case before we do anything else. I bet that they have at least something for us," I suggested. I was trying to sound optimistic, but in truth, I was mostly trying to convince myself. With as few details as we had, we needed everything that we could get from the lead detective. I just hoped that they were going to be at least a little willing to help us out on this matter. We'd be in trouble if they were stubborn and against us.

"I haven't seen a detective around here, now that you mention it," Chrysalis frowned. "Perhaps we should go and take a quick look around. I'm sure that they're around here somewhere. It wouldn't make much sense if the detective wasn't overseeing the investigation. I bet that somebody around here can point us in the right direction, assuming that they aren't going to be against us since we're on the defense."

"Ah, so you two loves are on the defense?"

Upon hearing the new voice, Chrysalis and I turned to see a woman walking towards us. She had short brown hair and hazel eyes that shone brightly. She had a navy body warmer and denim shorts on. She was also wearing a red shirt with lengthy sleeves. Dark blue leggings were underneath her shorts, though they ended just above her brown shoes. She was smiling kindly at us. I noticed a bag was slung over one shoulder. It was bursting with all sorts of case files, though I couldn't see anything specific. From what I could tell, she appeared to be our detective. No other officers were dressed quite like this.

"Yes, we are," I nodded, taking a small step forward. "My name is Lily Shield. My assistant here is Chrysalis Starr. Are you the detective for this murder?"

The woman nodded. "I'm Vera Wattson. I work as a homicide detective," she told us. "You know, you look a lot like the prosecutor leading this case..."

"He's my older brother," I told her. "Sorry about him. I know he can be a bit of a hothead sometimes. It's just the way he is, I suppose."

Detective Wattson let out a small laugh. "No worries, love. He's just fine," she assured me. "I take it that you'll be wanting the autopsy report, yes?"

"That would be great," Chrysalis smiled to her.

Detective Wattson opened up her messenger bag and began rummaging through it. After a few moments of sifting, she pulled out a manilla folder and handed it to me. The label on it told us loud and clear that this was the aforementioned autopsy report. "Thank you," I grinned, examining the folder for a moment or two before flipping it open to see inside. Something about Detective Wattson just made me feel at ease. In a way, she reminded me of my mother, though you'd never catch me admitting something so embarrassing. She'd probably find it weird that I think something like that despite the fact that we just met, you know?

Chrysalis peered at the file from next to me. I held it over a little closer so that we could both read it okay:

_Name: Jules Stigate_   
_Age: 45_   
_Gender: Male_   
_Cause of Death: Air loss due to drowning in lake_   
_Time of Death: 4:25 PM_   
_Other: Body was found drifting in Rhiza Lake. Victim suffered no other external injuries._   
_~ Jasper Kent_

"I was hoping that the autopsy report would be able to give us at least a little something more to work with, but I suppose that just wasn't meant to be," Chrysalis sighed. "This case is turning out to be rather difficult just because of how few details there are to play around with. It's going to take a lot of work to prove conclusively that Neptune didn't do it regardless of if we're positive another suspect is out there... I'm already not liking our odds, truth be told."

"I don't blame you. There's basically nothing to work with. I mean, how can we refute a claim made by my brother when we don't have anything to refute it with?" I asked, letting out a sigh. "We're going to have to be really focused if we want to pull this off... Is there anything else you can tell us, Detective Wattson? You probably know more about this case than we do. You're the detective, and we only got here a few minutes ago, unfortunately..."

Detective Wattson nodded. "I do have a little bit for you, love. For one, I think that I'll be able to let you go through the defendant's bag. If the prosecutor is your older brother, then he'll surely allow you to see it. I have it out in my car if you want to come and look into it. The bag doesn't have very much in it that one would take note of, but it sounds like you can use whatever you can get," she said. "Follow me right this way, loves." She turned over her shoulder and gestured for us to go after her. Chrysalis and I didn't need to be told twice. We shared a quick glance of relief before following her away from the lake.

We arrived at Detective Wattson's car after around two minutes of walking in silence. It was an old Jeep that had definitely seen better days, but I could easily tell that it was well-loved. Detective Wattson pressed on her key to unlock it before pulling open the back door. She dragged out yet another messenger bag that was overflowing with all sorts of things. It definitely looked like it belonged to a young woman who didn't enjoy keeping things tidy. Detective Wattson handed it to me, though I could tell that she was struggling with its weight. As soon as it passed into my hands, I could see why. My arm instantly fell downwards due to how heavy it was. I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out in shock. How could somebody have something so heavy? I mean, I went to school for years, so I knew that backpacks could pretty much be bricks you drag around everywhere, but this was borderline ridiculous!

"Sorry about how heavy it is, love," Detective Wattson said, noting how I was battling with the bag. "We left most of the stuff in there so as not to remove anything important on accident. The only noteworthy thing that was found was a small photo of a few people that we suspect are unrelated to the case. Well, the witness is in the photo, but aside from that, it likely has nothing to do with this murder. Have you seen it? The prosecution had it last I was aware."

"They showed it to us, yes," Chrysalis said with a nod. I could tell that she was deliberately keeping herself from mentioning that she was in the photo to keep Detective Wattson from asking any questions. Chrysalis seemed to enjoy her secrecy as far as I was aware. I wasn't going to keep it from her, so I chose not to intervene. It wasn't an issue, so I didn't have any reason to. Besides, I could ask her more about the picture after this had been all tied up.

"We have no idea why that was at the scene of the murder. Apparently, it was on the ground near the lake the victim was found in. Nobody can say if it connects to this murder. Perhaps its presence there was pure coincidence," remarked Detective Wattson. "The defendant said that it belonged to the sister of her friend, who happens to be the witness. Cassidy Rinko's older sister was apparently the owner of the picture while she was still alive. We haven't a clue how it ended up in this area, but it most certainly did. Her sister has been dead for months after she was murdered back in February, so it doesn't make much sense. The police have been trying to figure it out, but no one can make heads or tails out of it. Sorry if that's a disappointment, loves."

"It's fine, Detective Wattson," I smiled. "Thank you for telling us all this. I'm glad that you're helping us. I've heard some detectives can be a bit strict as far as interaction with the defense team. We're going to be able to use all that you're telling us to our advantage, so it's really much appreciated."

"It's my pleasure," Detective Wattson told us. She shut the door on her car and pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Ah, it seems that Prosecutor Cruz wants to talk to me. Feel free to look through the bag for now. I can come back and get it in a little while. I trust you not to do anything bad." She pressed a button on her key that locked the car before walking away. "I'll see you later, loves. Tell me if you find anything interesting in there, alright?"

"Bye!" I chirped with a wave. Once she was out of sight, I crouched down next to the bag. "Alright, let's get started on this monster. It's going to take ages to get through this thing at this rate. Hopefully, we'll still have time to talk to the witness and get back to Ms. Mercure after we're finished here."

"Let's get right to it then," Chrysalis said. She sat down on the ground beside me and opened up the bag. It was practically tearing at the seams sine it was so full. I had no idea how Ms. Mercure was able to carry it. I mean, this bag was probably heavier than her entire torso. Consider me impressed.

Chrysalis started by pulling out a small stack of case files. She flicked through them for a moment. There were a few labels on them, but I couldn't read them very well due to the sun overhead glaring on the folders in just the right way that the names were obstructed. Chrysalis frowned for a moment before letting out a gasp of recognition. "I think these cases all have something to do with the Oracle of the Law, she said in shock. "I mean, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Neptune mentioned that the only reason she was here to see the boat race was to speak with the victim about Oracle. He was a known researcher looking into their true identity as well. I guess it's natural for her to bring along her research if she was going to be speaking with him about who they thought the spy really was behind the mask. It would make sense."

"What cases specifically are there?" I asked of her. I didn't know all of the cases that Oracle was involved with, so this was a much-needed moment to catch up.

"The first one is for the GC-9 incident. Last month, Occisor mentioned that before Mr. Kyllar went missing. He said that it was the case to start everything off, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised on that one. Anybody looking into it would want to start there since that was where it all began," she told me. "Unfortunately, that case doesn't narrow much of anything down. I mean, there were a lot of people involved with that case. There were many factory workers who loved the victim dearly and would want to know the truth about her killer. Plus, there were the people that had to do with the case when it went to court. The possibilities are nearly endless. There have to be over 300 suspects because of the number of factory workers. Anyone who was curious about the murderers that got away could easily have started up the Oracle of the Law project to figure out who did it and to lock them up in prison. It doesn't help researchers at all."

"What about the next one?" I questioned.

Chrysalis set aside the file for GC-9 and looked at the next one. "This is for the case from last year that my brother told you about. That was the first public sighting of Oracle, so I suppose that makes sense," she said. "Next up is the murder of Venus from earlier this year. The killer wanted revenge on Oracle, who was openly mentioned during the trial. That's the extent of their involvement though, so that case doesn't do much to help out either, I'm afraid."

"Not exactly. Like I mentioned before, the witness was Oracle in disguise, assuming my brother's deductions are correct," I reminded her. "I just wonder if Ms. Mercure knew that. We probably can't ask her without endangering Oracle though. Anybody could easily overhear, you know? We'll just have to keep it hidden for now. Plus, if she doesn't know about that little factor, then we shouldn't reveal it to her. It's a big piece of information that you can't exactly share with somebody you just met, regardless of if they're your client in court or not. Some secrets were just made to be kept, wouldn't you agree, Chrysalis?"

Chrysalis nodded. She set aside the two case files that she had mentioned and held up the final one in the stack. "Last but not least, we have the file for the case earlier this year about the prison murder. You probably remember that one. It was where the killer was a prison guard, the victim was a convicted murderer, and Occisor revealed their existence. It was wild from start to finish," she went on. "This case wasn't all that big when it came to Oracle interaction up until the very end. I mean, there was a message written in blood at the scene of the murder about how Oracle would die that was written by the killer, but aside from that, it was pretty unrelated. Occisor doing the big announcement in the courtroom changed that though. Everybody realized that it was involved then. Truth be told, I'm surprised that they didn't just try to find Oracle right then. I mean, they had everyone knocked out. They were basically all right in Occisor's hands, and yet, they passed up on the opportunity. Maybe they just want to scare Oracle until they have the right moment to execute them. Maybe they couldn't do anything since it was all a bluff. As of right now, nobody can say, but I'm sure that we'll be finding out the truth very soon."

Chrysalis set down the last file as I got into the bag once again. There was a small plastic box that was filled with newspaper clippings. I assumed that they had to do with Oracle due to the trend set by the case files. I couldn't help but wonder how Ms. Mercure managed to get her hands on case files like that though. They appeared to be rather fancy and detailed judging by the quality of the folders and such. Maybe she knew somebody in the business. At the very least, she knew Cassidy, who happened to work at the Prosecutor's Office alongside Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. It would be easy for her to get her hands on something like that and then pass it on and give it to Ms. Mercure, I suppose. I had no evidence to support that, but it seemed like the most likely conclusion.

Chrysalis helped me go through the bag once she was finished with the case files. She pulled out a small purse from a side pocket of the bag. Chrysalis unzipped it and pulled out a phone. It had a cracked screen, which I assumed was because of Ms. Mercure's messiness. It wouldn't surprise me if she had accidentally damaged it due to her lack of organization. Anything heavy enough could easily crack the screen if it was left to roam.

Chrysalis also pulled out a small wallet after setting the phone next to her knee. She opened it and saw a few credit cards tucked away in the pockets. Change jangled as Chrysalis went to check the ID, which was hiding behind a small clump of folded cash. Ms. Mercure's smiling face was on it. From what I could tell, it was her driver's license, though I couldn't be entirely sure of that. We could easily ask her about it later if we felt it would be important.

"I don't think that there's anything else of note in here," I said with a small shrug. "I doubt much of this will end up being important. I could see why the victim would want to get into it thought. It has a lot of valuable information inside. As a fellow investigator of Oracle, he was probably more than a little bit eager to get his hands on it. I can't blame Ms. Mercure for not wanting that to happen though. From what she's told us, he was a really unpleasant man in life."

"It doesn't look like we'll have very much evidence to go off for now," Chrysalis frowned. "The bag didn't help us as much as we had hoped, but that's alright. We're finished going through it, which means that it's time to go on to our next order of business. We need to go and talk to Cassidy before she leaves to go home. I bet that she was here all night being questioned over the murder yesterday. Cassidy is a pretty fragile girl, so she'd want to go home as soon as possible. I doubt word has gotten around to her that we're the attorneys on the case, which means she doesn't know to look for us."

"We should get going then," I nodded. I helped Chrysalis shove all of Ms. Mercure's possessions back into the bag. I tried to pick it up once we were finished, intending to take it to Detective Wattson when we next crossed paths with her. The bag was heavy, just as I had remembered it, so it fell back to the ground instantly. Chrysalis reached out and took one side of the bag while I grabbed the other. Carrying it like this as inconvenient, but there weren't many other options we had. I was hoping that maybe Cassidy would be able to tell us something about the stuff in the bag. I was practically praying something would be useful, but none could say until we got to talk to her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot to post this because I posted my Goldoa fic. Oops. 
> 
> -Digital


	23. Turnabout on the Waves, Part 3

**May 29**

**Rhiza Lake**

**11:50 AM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

We ran into Cassidy standing on the edge of the lake near the largest dock in the area. There were roughly twenty boats all tied up there, but none of them stuck out as looking too peculiar. She was staring down at the ground in silence, so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice us at first. It took a small tap on the shoulder from me to get her to turn around, but even so, her gaze was distant, like she still wasn't entirely present. "Hello, Chrysalis," she said with a small smile. She looked at Lily briefly before refocusing on me. Cassidy and I had a few things in common, one of the notable ones being how shy we could be around people we didn't know. I knew that was effecting her now since Lily was here. I'd just have to step up and introduce them, it seemed.

"You must be Cassidy Rinko," smiled Lily warmly. "My name is Lily Shield. I'm the lead attorney on this case. I take it that you already know Chrysalis here. We're working to defend your friend Neptune. We'd really appreciate it if you could tell us about what you saw the day of the murder. Could you do that for us?"

Cassidy's shoulders relaxed slightly. Lily's sweet approach was already making her feel better from what I could see, which made me happy. I didn't want Cassidy to be upset. Yuri would get mad at me over it. "Um... Sure..." Cassidy told us quietly. I could tell that she was still thinking about other things, but I wasn't entirely sure how to go about addressing it. Then again, I had known her for years, so perhaps the direct approach would be the best way to go.

"Is something wrong, Cass?" I asked, a frown on my face. "You seem a bit out of it today. Are you feeling sick at all?"

"No, nothing like that... I'm just a bit tired," Cassidy told me with a shake of her head. "I've been here for ages now. I just want to go home and rest for a little while. The police haven't questioned me in a few hours, so I feel like I should be able to leave, but they don't really want me to... I've tried to call Ghastly to get him to pull some strings, but it hasn't been working. He isn't answering his phone, so I've just been stuck here." She let out an exhausted sigh.

I shook my head with disproval. "Who here wants to bet that he's asleep and hasn't picked up his phone since he's been too busy sawing logs?" I asked. Cassidy let out a small but forced giggle and raised her hand. Even if she was still tired, I was glad I could at least get a smile out of her.

"If you would be so kind, could you tell us about what you saw at the time of the crime?" Lily questioned of her. "You seem to be friends with our client, at least from what she told us, so you'd be happy to explain it all, right?" I could tell she was trying to make Cassidy laugh a little bit since she was picking up on the tense atmosphere. I wasn't entirely sure if it would work since Cassidy warmed to people rather slowly, but it was at least worth a shot.

Cassidy nodded, though she didn't laugh. "I was here yesterday as moral support for Neptune. She wanted to talk to a detective that was here to watch a boat race, but she didn't want to come alone. I offered to go with her. We eventually found him and started to talk to him, but he was obsessed with wanting to see into her bag. Neptune refused to let him inside of it, saying that it was her private business, but the investigator didn't seem to care. She eventually stormed off, but I followed her. We were going to leave right afterwards, but he managed to get her bag while we were starting up the car. You see, one of the tires was a bit deformed, so we had to use a pump in her trunk to fill it out again. Her car is a bit old and beaten up, so she's used to having to carry around stuff to fix it," she explained. "She's got all sorts of stuff in her trunk. It was a bit messy though since she isn't exactly the most organized of people, so we had to dig out the pump before we could work to fill out the tire. The bag had been just at her feet, but he had snuck up behind us while we were looking through the trunk."

"She didn't tell us why you were standing outside the car. She just cut right to the part where he took her bag," I remarked. "We should make a note of that in case it ends up being important later on. We might end up needing it to refute a claim from the prosecution when the trial rolls around tomorrow."

"Neptune instantly assumed that he had been the one to take her bag. She rarely took it off her shoulder, but since it was a bit heavy, she decided to put it down for a minute. Once we realized it was gone, we stopped trying to fill up the tire and just went looking for it. She said that there were very important things inside of it that she didn't want him to get into. Unfortunately, we didn't ever end up finding him. The bag was found next to the dead body floating in the lake," Cassidy told us. "But... I did see a little something else. I just don't want to say it too loudly in case somebody ends up overhearing us... I want it to stay private, if that's alright with you two. You can use it in court tomorrow, when there will be armed guards around, but until then... Please keep it on the down low."

"You sound like you're about to reveal something really bad to us," Lily said, a small laugh of panic escaping her lips. Cassidy looked down. I followed suit. I knew her well enough by now to know that when she go this way, there was often something incredibly serious for us to worry about.

"I saw somebody running away from the crime scene," Cassidy whispered. "And let me tell you, it was not Neptune. Unfortunately, I can't say anything like that until the trial starts tomorrow... If Ghastly were prosecuting, I would feel a lot better, but since he isn't, I'm afraid that they won't believe me when I tell them the truth. I couldn't tell them before then though. If I did... I don't even want to imagine what could have happened to me. It would have been bad for sure."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked. "If it wasn't Neptune leaving the crime scene, then you should tell people about it. That will keep her from getting into any trouble. As her friend, isn't that what you want for her? It would be awful to see somebody so close to you go to prison for a crime they didn't commit."

"The problem isn't what I saw. The problem is that one of the people on this case could get really mad at me for it," Cassidy frowned. "I can't say that much about who I saw anyways. The sun was directly behind them, so they just looked like a shadow to me, but I know for a fact that it wasn't Neptune. They had different statures. I did see really long hair, but it was straight instead of being puffy like Neptune's hair. It was a chesty woman. Does that help you at all?"

"That's very helpful. Thank you," I smiled to her. "But why couldn't you mention it to the prosecution? Is somebody blackmailing you perhaps?" I wasn't entirely sure about this one, but it was at least a guess. I had heard about Venus' murder case and how the witness was being blackmailed by the killer into staying silent after the murderer threatened to kill her. Cassidy was a timid girl, so she would probably stay quiet about it until she could speak with somebody she trusted. In this case, she was away from familiarity. If this was the case, maybe she hadn't spoken up since she didn't know the prosecutors. They both seemed to be rough and tough men that would scare her off. Like I said, she's painfully shy, so that would make sense given her personality traits.

"Not exactly... I can't say for sure, but I think that one of the investigators on this case might be the killer," Cassidy told us quietly. "I don't want her overhearing us and getting mad at me for bringing it up. She might come after me. I don't want to die." Her shoulders shuddered as a tear streamed down one cheek. This must have been what was bothering her so much. I could see why she had been worried. This situation could easily turn sour if her suspicions were correct. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close as she rubbed at her eyes. She was around my height, but she still buried her face into my shoulder. I felt bad for the poor girl. She really did deserve better than what the world was giving her in this case. I already wanted it to be over for her sake.

"Thank you for telling us this, Cassidy," Lily told her gently. "Tomorrow, when the trial starts, you should talk to my brother about it. He's really a huge softie. He'll be glad to listen to you if you think that you're in trouble. He handled a similar situation a few months ago. He'd be happy to keep you safe if you're correct. Plus, I'm sure that he can help us catch the killer if you're positive this investigator is the one who did it. Do you know what her name is? Maybe we can go and talk to her after we're finished speaking with you to see about what she was doing at the time of the murder."

"I'm afraid I don't know her name... We haven't spoken at all. I just remember her talking to a few of the officers on the case. She seemed to have them all under her little finger. I don't really know how she's able to manipulate them so easily, but maybe I don't really want to know," frowned Cassidy with a shake of her head. "I think I'm going to head home in a little bit. Do you have anything else to ask me about before I head out for now?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Lily said. I wasn't entirely sure what she meant until she pulled out the picture from two years ago. I released Cassidy as tension rose in my shoulders from seeing it. I had been hoping that the subject of the photo wouldn't come up anymore. The case surrounding it was filled with painful thoughts I'd much rather forget than recall, but I figured the conversation would be brief, so I didn't openly object to it.

Cassidy gasped upon noticing what picture it was. "Where did you get that?" she asked of her.

"It was found at the scene of the crime. Can you tell us anything about it, Cassidy?" Lily questioned. She let Cassidy hold the photo. I could tell that she was thinking back to two years prior. Everything had been so simple up until that case, but afterwards, everything seemed to go downhill. The entire thing was a complete mess.

"I guess I can try," Cassidy said softly. "I don't know why it would be there though. That copy once belonged to my sister. It wasn't until recently that it came into the hands of Neptune though. I gave it to her as a gift. I figured that she would want it for her research into the Oracle of the Law. Since the case was mentioned by Occisor a month ago, it could easily be useful to her. I didn't realize it was out of her bag though. Maybe the victim managed to get it out before he was killed. I can't say for sure though."

"That's still appreciated information," Lily smiled. "Thank you, Cassidy."

"You're welcome," Cassidy responded. "That picture was taken two years ago after the murder of Natasha Morix. She worked at the Sparx Factory and was killed there. The killers got away though. From what Occisor said a month ago, they're the most likely suspects, but we can't exactly say who they are. The only person that would know went missing a long time ago, just after the murder was wrapped up. Without him around, nobody knows who Occisor is. He was really important, but now that he's gone, we can't do much of anything about the situation. Have you ever heard about Pieter Fury?"

"Pieter Fury?" Lily echoed. "No, I haven't."

I could feel my eyes going wide. I wished that I could magically talk to Cassidy and tell her not to talk about Pieter. There were a million other things to discuss besides Pieter. I had been hoping to not bring him up for a long time, not until we had found him, but this moment was saying that just wasn't meant to be. I knew that openly voicing my objections would only make Lily suspicious, so I decided to stay quiet for the time being. Maybe the subject would change and we wouldn't have to talk about it anymore.

"Pieter Fury was Chrysalis' big brother," Cassidy began. "Well, the younger of her two older brothers. It was Mr. Morix, Pieter, Prosecutor Lin, and then Chrysalis. He went missing after the murder case two years ago. He knew the victim really well since she had taken him in after finding him in a really rough state. He isn't related to them by blood, but he's technically their sibling since he was adopted by Ms. Morix before she was killed. We don't know where he is now though. He's been gone ever since the murder was wrapped up. That photo is the last physical evidence anybody has of him. No body has been discovered, no evidence has been left behind... It's like he just vanished off the face of the planet."

"I didn't realize you had another brother," Lily said, turning to face me. I stared down at the ground, suddenly finding the individual strands of grass to be the most interesting things in the world. "Why didn't you tell me about him?"

"He never came up," I said simply, though she could obviously tell there was more to it. There was. Pieter had just disappeared once the case was put to rest. Nobody wanted to get involved with it since the brief words about the killers were all terrifying. The testimony given by surviving victims of their assault said that there were five or so of them. Pieter seemed to know them, but he never got into how. He said that he'd rather not talk about it. I respected his privacy and pulled out of the conversation so as not to make him uncomfortable. Since the murder was set aside, Pieter didn't seem to have a reason to remain. He told me that his main purpose in life was to discover who the killers really were and to ensure they'd face justice. It had been the last time we spoke before he went missing. Cotoli and I wondered if he was involved in the Oracle project at all, since he went missing around the time it was brought up by Jackson Blocker, which is the whole reason we're curious about Oracle at all. If Oracle is related to Pieter, maybe they can lead us to him. We weren't just going to let Pieter vanish without a trace. He could have been dead or worse, but we had to know whatever the case was.

"You still could have talked to me," frowned Lily. "I don't want you to just suffer in silence over this. I'd have listened if you wanted to tell me about him. I know how hard it is to lose a family member like that."

I never really thought about Pieter these days, truth be told. As curious as I was to learn where he had gone, I was halfway afraid of what I might find. He could be dead for all we knew. It always made me sad to know that my older brother could be out there dying or dead. I had tried countless times to channel him, but it never worked, which meant he was still out there, though nobody could quite say where. To put it simply, it left me stressed and worried for his health. I didn't want him to get hurt. Nobody would want somebody that important to them to end up injured, you know?

"I wish we knew where he had gone," Cassidy whispered to herself. "Pieter shouldn't have tried to face it alone."

We were silent for a moment, all thinking about him. His face appeared in my mind's eye, so I did my best to brush it off. "You should go home, Cass. I'm sure that your mother is worried sick about you. Yuri is probably a bit concerned as well, even if you likely won't see her admit it since that's how she is."

Cassidy nodded. "Alright. You stay out of trouble, Chrysalis," she instructed of me. She turned over her heel and walked away, waving briefly before disappearing from sight entirely.

Lily didn't say anything for a good thirty seconds after Cassidy had gone. I was quiet as well. I simply didn't know what I was supposed to say. I mean, this was a dark situation, you know? It's not everyday that you hear one of your coworkers has a second older brother that's been missing for two years. I had been intending to keep things regarding Pieter quiet to keep the painful thoughts of him at bay, but it seemed that just wasn't meant to be. As annoying as it was, it wasn't anything big enough to make things go severely downhill. It would all be fine regardless of if Lily and Deirdre knew about his existence or not.

"What was he like?" Lily asked of me, breaking through the thick tension in the air. "Pieter, I mean. Was he nice? I sure hope he was."

"Yeah," I said with a gentle smile. "He first appeared to us after Cotoli's mother died. Since she had been looking after Pieter, though we never quite heard the reason, he was bound to show up to hear about what had happened. He had no idea that Cotoli's mother had a son, so he was overjoyed. Of course, since he didn't even know Cotoli existed, he was even further from the truth that he had two little sisters too. Apparently, Ms. Morix never brought him up since she was too busy making sure Pieter was okay after some unspecified catastrophe. When he finally met us though, he was as happy as can be. He spent nearly all the time he was around with me, making sure I was happy and such, since he said that he had always wanted a little sister. I was happy to be there for him since it got him all excited like that. Being with him really was fun. I was stuck in the hospital due to the murder investigation, but he stayed with me the whole time to keep me company. He really was spectacular back when he was still around... God, I'm making it sound like he's dead. I know he's not even if we don't know where he is. I've tried channeling him, but since it hasn't ever worked, I know that he's out there. I want to find him one day, even if the chances of that happening are as slim as can be. I want closure on why he left and why he didn't come back for so long, even if we never speak again after the fact."

"Wow..." was all Lily could say in response. She didn't say anything after that for a moment or two before speaking up again. "If you ever want to talk about him more, you can always come to me, okay? I'd be happy to listen if you felt like talking about the good old days with him. My door is always open, Chrysalis."

"Thanks," I muttered numbly. I stared at my feet for a few seconds more before looking up. "We should go and see Neptune now. I bet she's going to want to know about what we uncovered here today. Afterwards, we can go and get some lunch. It's getting late and I'm a bit hungry. How does that sound to you, Lily?"

She nodded. "I'd like that," she told me. With that said, we headed out for her car.

**May 29**

**Detention Center**

**12:45 PM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

When we arrived at the detention center, Neptune was sitting on the other side of the glass. She was tapping her fingers on the table in front of her as she stared off into space. She didn't even seem to notice that we were there. It took a wave from me to get her to snap out of it. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "You're back. Did you find anything that you could use to prove me innocent tomorrow? Is Cassidy alright? She didn't have a panic attack or anything, right?"

"We didn't find much of anything helpful, I'm afraid," I frowned, not wanting to sugarcoat it. She seemed like the type who wanted things told to her plain and simple. "We did talk to Cassidy though. She told us as much as she could about the case. I'm sure that her testimony will be able to help us out in the trial tomorrow. She firmly believes in your innocence just like we do, so she'll testify that you didn't do it. She didn't have any panic attacks, no. Cass was really tired though since they kept her there through most of the night. She's heading home now to get a little bit of rest for tomorrow, so if she doesn't stop by, you can bet that she's back at home sleeping," I told her. "Does that satisfy your thirst for information, Neptune?"

She paused for a moment before nodding. "Thank you," she said. "Is there anything else you want to talk to me about? Can you give me any details on what you found at the crime scene?" Neptune hesitated once again before sighing. "I've been locked up in here all day, so forgive me for being a little bit bored. I'm craving information since it will be used to decide my fate tomorrow. Anything will be able to help me with how tired I am of staring at blank walls nonstop. Even if it's really simple and doesn't seem to matter, I'd love to hear about it. I'm practically begging you at this point."

I turned to Lily and hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I want you to tell us about the picture from two years ago, from the GC-9 case. I want to know how you came to own this photo and why. I don't understand why somebody like you, who's so unrelated to the case, would want something like that," I said sternly. This had been bothering me a little bit for a while now. I just didn't know how to go about asking. It made no sense. Even if Neptune knew Cassidy, that didn't really explain why she had this picture. Regardless of if Occisor was related to that case, it didn't add up. Why would Cassidy give Neptune of all people this picture? It wasn't related to Oracle as far as I was concerned.

Maybe Cassidy knew a little bit more than she had been letting on.

"Cassidy said that she wanted me to have it since I was looking into Oracle," Neptune said simply. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No... No, there's nothing wrong at all," I lied, staring at the ground. Something about this had me suspicious. Either Cassidy knew more than she was letting on or Neptune suspected the photo had something to do with Oracle. Regardless of which one it was, something about this was not going well.

If Cassidy did know more than she was telling us, then why not open up? I mean, Cotoli and I have been investigating Oracle for ages to try and find out more about Pieter. She can't just hide something like that from us, right? Why keep it so closely guarded? Maybe she was trying to keep us from meeting the same fate as Venus, but she has to know that we know how to protect ourselves and keep from getting hurt. Besides, we're not involved with Oracle like Venus was. We should be mostly safe from harm.

If it was the other scenario and Neptune suspected the picture had to do with Oracle, why? Why would she think that we had something to do with it all? Neptune had only met Cassidy before now. As far as I could tell, Neptune and Cassidy had met up after Venus' death, which meant that Cass was her only link to the photo. She could have seen it on Cassidy's desk and asked for a copy since she was curious. I could only hope it was just curiosity and not something deeper and more dangerous.

Lily snapped me out of my daze by speaking to Neptune. My brain, which was going a million miles a minute, finally came to a screeching halt, leaving me even more confused than I had been when this conversation started. "We're going to prove you innocent tomorrow," smiled Lily to Neptune. "Everything is going to be just fine. Don't you worry at all."

"Do you have anything else to ask me about?" questioned Neptune, beginning to play with a loose strand of her puffy hair.

"We can at least tell you about the one piece of evidence that we found at the scene of the crime," offered Lily. "Apparently, there was one thing found near the body floating in the water. We can't exactly say how it ties into all this. I apologize in advance if this ends up embarrassing you, Ms. Mercure."

"What?" Neptune asked in concern. "Why would it embarrass me? It can't be that bad, right?"

I felt my face flush red, so I turned away to keep anyone from noticing. "God, I really don't want to talk about this... I can't believe this is happening..." I murmured under my breath.

"A bra was found near the body," Lily told her, cringing slightly as she spoke. "We think that it belonged to the killer, but we can't quite say for sure. It's really big, so I highly doubt that it belongs to you. The victim was fully clothed, so that rules him out..."

Neptune's expression was one of horror. "I... I don't know how to respond to that, but I don't think I want to talk about this anymore," she remarked simply. She looked away. I could tell that she was ready to curl up in the corner and never speak about this ever again. I couldn't blame her. I wanted to do the same. I only hoped I could get through this murder with my dignity still intact.

"That was pretty much it as far as things found at the scene of the murder," Lily said. "Nobody can really say how it ties into everything. At the very least, we can count a few of our blessings. For one, there's no murder weapon to be used against you. Second, there weren't any fingerprints of yours found at the scene of the crime. Third, the prosecution has already acknowledged evidence that proves your innocence. That's got to be something, right?"

"We don't have much evidence to go off, so this case isn't going to be easy, but there are at least a few things that we can say are good," I went on. "I guess that we can say that much is positive. We're going to be able to figure this case out. I can assure you that much... But before we head out for the day, I have one last question to ask of you, Neptune."

"Fire away," Neptune smiled. "I'll do anything to help out."

I nodded solemnly. "Alright. What do you know about the Oracle of the Law?" I questioned.

The room was quiet for a moment, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. Neptune eventually spoke up, her voice as serious as could be. "Nothing," she said simply.

I reached up and touched the Magatama charm around my neck. I was unsurprised to see chains spring into place with five blood red locks over the top. This told me one thing with certainty regardless of if she'd feign innocence or not.

Neptune knew exactly who the Oracle of the Law was.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this at lightning speed a few minutes before I go to bed. 
> 
> That being said, it's sleepy time. 
> 
> Bye!
> 
> -Digital


	24. Turnabout on the Waves, Part 4

**May 30**

**Defendant Lobby No. 4**

**9:40 AM**

**Lily Shield**

The next morning, I arrived at the courthouse as early as I could. I plopped down onto the couch in the defendant lobby and let out a sigh. I had been up late the night before trying to piece together more about the case. The information Cassidy had given us was helpful, sure, but I doubted it would be able to win us the case. Even if she went and told my brother about it right now, he probably wouldn't be able to use her testimony as solid evidence in the trial. The judge would want further evidence. So would Prosecutor Cruz, for that matter. Any of them could easily assume that Cassidy was just trying to cover for Ms. Mercure since the two of them are close friends. To put it simply, we'd need other proof that Cassidy saw somebody else running from the scene of the murder.

"Hey, Ms. Shield."

Upon hearing my name, I looked up to see Ms. Mercure standing in front of me. She had her arms crossed over her chest. Judging by how dark the skin beneath her eyes was, she hadn't slept much last night either. I couldn't blame her. I wouldn't be able to rest very well either if I knew that my life was in the hands of people I didn't know at all. It would make you feel more than a little bit hopeless, you know? On top of that, I can't even imagine how stressful it would be.

"Hi," I greeted simply. I scooted over on the couch and patted the area beside me. "You don't look too good. Are you sure you'll be okay during the trial?"

Ms. Mercure sat down next to me. "I'll be fine," she sighed. She let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. "I swear, they won't stop watering... I couldn't sleep last night. The longest I was out was an hour. Those beds have got to be some of the most uncomfortable in this plane of existence. I hate them."

"You never realize how much you miss your own bed until it's gone, it seems," I said with a small but forced smile. "We're going to prove you innocent today. I promise you. I know you didn't kill the victim, so I'm not about to let you go to jail over it. I wouldn't be able to sit by and watch that because of my morals."

"I'm glad you at least believe in me. I bet everybody in that courtroom is going to want me dead the second I walk in there," Ms. Mercure huffed. "That's how these cases go, it seems. The gallery watchers are indecisive. One second, they think you're the worst person in the world. The next, they see somebody else as the killer. Until we can reach that second phase, I'm going to be getting all sorts of glares. If looks could kill, I'd end up murdered a thousand times over. I wish things were different, but unfortunately, we'll just have to put up with it. I have faith you'll be able to show I didn't do it, so it's just a matter of time."

"Robbie isn't going to let an innocent young woman get convicted. I know for sure that everything is going to be okay," I smiled to her. "Chrysalis and I have everything under control... Speaking of her, I wonder where she is. I would have expected her to be here by now, you know? She's not late often..."

"You know, I get the feeling that she suspects me of something," Ms. Mercure frowned. "I can't exactly put my finger on it, but it seems to me that she doesn't trust me quite yet. I mean, she's helping you defend me, so that has to be something, but I still feel as if something's off. She was really intent about the photo yesterday. That seemed to be the only thing she was focused on. I guess that picture must really be important to her, huh?"

"I know that it has her older brother in it. He went missing, so it might be all she has to remember him by. Plus, her close friend Venus is also in it. I can tell that she's upset that Venus died. Maybe it makes her feel connected to them. I can't say. Even if I've been working alongside her for a few months now, I get the feeling that she keeps most of her secrets close. I just wonder what a teenager like her has to hide," I said. I shrugged afterwards. "Oh well. There's no use dwelling on it now. There's nothing we can really do to force the information out of her. Well, at the very least, there's nothing we can do that she'd approve of, though I'd rather not have her angry with me. We see each other at work everyday, so that would make things a tad bit awkward, you know?"

Before Ms. Mercure could reply, the doors to the defendant lobby opened. Chrysalis came walking in, yawning as she did so. "Morning," she grumbled. Ms. Mercure moved aside to make room for her on the end of the couch which she happily filled up. "Are you ready for today? I know I am... Sort of..."

"I guess we're all kind of tired," I sighed. "Oh well. The least we can do is try our best. We know Ms. Mercure didn't do it, so we'll just have to show that to the judge. No killing is perfect, so there has to be some trace of the original killer around somewhere. It's our job to dig it up and reveal who really killed the victim, which I know that we'll be able to do. No mystery stands a chance before Morix Law Offices!"

Chrysalis nodded and yawned a second time. "Yeah... You're right..." she muttered. "I swear, Cotoli and his worrying... He was up really late last night worrying about Pieter. He was wondering about the photo's relation to the murder. When I told him, he only started freaking out more. As cool-headed as he may seem, he's really panicky. He's always been this way, so I can't really say I'm surprised, but I really wish I knew what to do to completely relax him..."

I could tell Ms. Mercure was thinking a little bit about what to say in response to that. I got the feeling that her mind was being cast back to Chrysalis' thoughts on the photo the day before. She had certainly been insistent on learning as much as possible about it. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I could tell that the picture was going to be a lot more important than I had originally suspected. While I couldn't say for sure if it would have much bearing on this case in particular, I knew it would play some sort of role in the future. Maybe it was because I was eventually destined to find out who the Oracle of the Law was! I couldn't hide my curiosity on the manner, so I certainly wouldn't object to that. I wonder what they're like. I wouldn't know until I met them though, so all I could do was wait for the time being, even if I really wanted to hear the truth. Chrysalis seemed to want me to stay away from it since Oracle was so dangerous, but I couldn't really help myself. My curiosity simply cannot ben quenched, it seems.

We didn't have time to share any other words on the case. A loud cry came from the bailiff guarding the door, making me jump. He had purple hair and a bright smile. As we walked inside, he shot a wave to Chrysalis, who returned with a nod and a small grin. He glanced at Ms. Mercure for a moment or two, as if he found something to be off about her. However, if he did find something wrong, he didn't say anything about it to keep us from getting into the courtroom. I was a bit happy about that in a way. I couldn't afford to be distracted or anything like that. It was time to get serious. Ms. Mercure's life was on the line. I wasn't about to let her go to prison, so I had to get to work!

**May 30**

**Courtroom No. 4**

**10:00 AM**

**Lily Shield**

When we got into the courtroom, the first person I noticed was the judge. Unlike the earlier cases I'd seen, Judge Frost wasn't there. Instead, a woman was sitting atop the podium. There was a sort of regal aura about her. She had piercing turquoise eyes and purple hair so pale you could have mistaken it for white. The ends were curled slightly. A large portion of her hair was over her right shoulder. She had a black earring in the shape of a snowflake on the left side. I could barely make it out because of the distance between us. She had a black choker with the same design on it around her neck.

Her dress was really interesting to me. It was a pale purple with black and white here and there. It was a Victorian styled dress that went just above her knees. She had black heeled boots with zippers on the sides. It looked fancy enough to work as attire for a judge. I squinted to see the nameplate sitting before her. 'ERIKO FROST', I read. Come to think of it, she shared some facial features with Judge Ervan Frost as far as structure was concerned. I figured they had to be related somehow, even if I couldn't say it exactly. It didn't matter anyways. I had much more important matters to attend to at that moment anyways.

The sound of a gavel rang out in the courtroom, silencing all gallery chatter nearly instantly. "Court is now in session for the trial of Neptune Mercure," came the voice of the judge not long after. She sounded rather relaxed despite being here to judge a murder trial. In a way, it was almost sort of impressive, not that I'd ever say so since I doubt it's proper or acceptable to say something like that. "Are the defense and prosecution ready to begin the proceedings?"

"The prosecution is ready," Robbie declared. Prosecutor Cruz was standing at his side. He was still wearing his sunglasses. I never understood why people wore sunglasses inside, but I guess whatever floats your boat is fine. I won't openly call you out for it, even if it makes you look like a gangster.

"The defense is also ready," I announced with a nod. I was hoping I looked a lot more confident than I felt. Not only was this my first case without a professional lawyer to help me, my first case as the lead defense attorney on top of that, but we didn't have much evidence to go off to find the truth. It was going to be a wild ride from start to finish. I could only pray to whatever higher power was out there that things would end up going in my favor.

"Good," nodded Judge Frost. She closed her eyes for a moment before speaking once more. "Prosecution, it's time for your opening statement. Please tell the court about the murder that took place two days ago. I'd also like to hear why you suspect the defendant as a recap for the court records."

Robbie nodded. "I understand," he said. He shuffled through a few of his papers before handing one to Prosecutor Cruz. I couldn't tell who exactly was going to be giving the statement. I didn't really care. I just wanted to get this started. The adrenaline was starting to kick in because of the fear of the unknown and worry for what was going to happen next.

"The crime took place two days ago on May 28," Prosecutor Cruz began to say once he had gathered his bearings. "A private investigator by the name of Jules Stigate was found dead in Rhiza Lake not far from here. He had drowned to death. At first, we weren't sure if it was a murder or mere accident, but it appears to be the former. We talked with some of his family members. He knew how to swim just fine and was good enough at it to not drown without someone holding him down. Furthermore, his clothes were found ripped and messy to indicate a struggle. The killer held him down in the water and just waited for him to run out of air. After that, they just walked away as if nothing had ever happened. Of course, we already arrested the person we believe to have killed him that day."

"You're talking about our client," remarked Chrysalis from beside me. She had her arms crossed as she stared at Prosecutor Cruz intently, waiting for what he was going to say next.

Prosecutor Cruz nodded, making his white hair shuffle slightly. "Exactly. The defendant had a motive to kill him. She had gone to the lake to see him since he was watching a boat race there. She said she found out from him posting about it on social media. She had been meaning to meet him for a while apparently. Seeing this as an opportunity, she headed to the lake to talk to him, though their interactions ended up being less than stellar, if you want to put it nicely."

"You see, she tried to ask him about the Oracle of the Law. He's been looking into the spy recently and wanted to know who it was behind the mask. The defendant was doing something similar. They were going to speak about their suspicions on the matter, but in the end, the victim made her a bit angry. He wanted to see inside of her bag for whatever reason and refused to speak to her until he could see what was in there. According to the defendant's testimony, he also seemed to be preying on her, getting a bit too close at times," Robbie said with a small cringe of discomfort. "She preferred not to get into detail on the matter of the victim doing these sorts of things though, so we won't speak on it anymore. We can get onto the main motive source now."

"She never mentioned that to us. I wonder why," I whispered to Chrysalis, placing one finger on my chin to tap at it lightly.

"I bet she didn't want to think about it. I can't really blame her. Most girls in her situation wouldn't want to talk about a middle-aged man trying to get creepy with them," she said with a frown. "That doesn't at all help us out though. The prosecution could easily use this as part of the motive. They could say that she also killed him as retaliation for making her so uncomfortable. For now though, all we can do is listen unless they decide to do something like that."

"The real motive has to do with her bag," Prosecutor Cruz declared.

"The bag contained many things important to the defendant. Since she didn't want him getting into it, she ran off without talking to him about Oracle. However, his curiosity got the better of him. He followed her out to her car. While she was trying to fix it due to technical difficulties, he ran off with her bag since her back was turned. The defendant was with a witness at the time she realized it was gone. Afterwards, she ran away to figure out where it had disappeared to. She suspected the victim nearly immediately, so she and the witness parted ways to go locate it. In this period of time, she has no alibi, so she could have easily found the victim and killed him for going through her bag. She is the only one at the scene of the crime to have a motive. Nobody else would have anything against the victim large enough to kill him. While his attitude was never pleasant and his behavior could certainly use some work, no one else had quite as strong as a motive as the defendant. Furthermore, she had no alibi at the time, which means that she could have easily killed him," Robbie declared. "You can see quite clearly why she would be suspected for this crime. The possibility of her doing it is rather strong with a motive such as this one."

"I understand why you would think this, yes," Judge Frost said under her breath. She thought in silence for a moment before speaking once again. "Alright, prosecution. If you don't mind, it's time for you to call your first witness. I assume this will be the lead detective on the case, yes?"

"You're right," nodded Prosecutor Cruz, messing slightly with his sunglasses. You know, the more I listen to his voice, the more I think that he has an Italian accent. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at first (mostly since I'm very unfamiliar with nearly every accent on the face of this planet), but I was starting to figure it out. Another thing I was beginning to notice was that he really liked those sunglasses of his with how much he fiddled with them. I was surprised Judge Frost was okay with him wearing them in court like this. "The prosecution now calls Detective Vera Wattson to the witness stand. Go on up there."

"Please state your name and occupation, witness," Judge Frost instructed. Even if Prosecutor Cruz had just said Detective Wattson's name and occupation, she was doing it likely because of courtroom procedures. I could already tell that she was a lover of rules and followed them as much as humanly possible.

Detective Wattson appeared at the witness stand while I was thinking about this. "My name is Vera Wattson. I'm a homicide detective down at the local precinct, loves," she told the court. "I'm here to testify about the basics regarding this murder before another witness can be called, if I recall correctly."

Robbie nodded. "You do. Now, if you don't mind, please tell the court about this murder, specifically the lack of evidence at our disposal," he told her.

"I'll get right to it," Detective Wattson said with a small smile.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ Barely Any Evidence ~**

_\- "If you want the truth, the defendant was mostly arrested because we didn't see any other options, loves."_

_\- "There wasn't much evidence of note found at the scene of the murder."_

_\- "There was a photograph dropped near the body, but we don't see how it could tie in."_

_\- "The bag of the defendant didn't have much of anything to pay attention to either."_

_\- "In fact, the only real piece of evidence we have is an undergarment that was floating near the corpse at the scene of the murder."_

_\- "Unfortunately, we haven't a clue who it belongs to."_

_\- "Because of this lack of evidence, we had to arrest the defendant on other factors, such as her motive and lack of alibi."_

_\- "As of now, there is no hard evidence to prove that she did it."_

"It certainly seems that this case will be interesting," Judge Frost murmured under her breath. I got the feeling she was being sarcastic. With so little evidence, it was going to be hard for her to come to a conclusion about who the killer was unless something else was uncovered. "So, does this garment found at the scene of the crime contradict your arrest of the defendant, prosecution? The detective didn't mention that you suspected it belonged to her."

"We don't think it's hers, no," Prosecutor Cruz frowned. "However, even if we don't know who owns it, that doesn't change the fact that she has a motive and nobody knows where she was at the time of the murder. For all we know, the garment could have been dropped by somebody else entirely into the lake. It could have easily drifted over to the body despite not at all being related. As of now, there's nothing conclusive we can say on the matter, I'm afraid."

"I see... Well, we're only going to find out more if we keep pressing on," Judge Frost declared. "Defense, please begin your cross-examination."

"I'll get right to it," I nodded. I wasn't at all sure how I was going to go about this. The very least I could do was try and hope I didn't somehow royally mess things up.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ Barely Any Evidence ~**

_\- "If you want the truth, the defendant was mostly arrested because we didn't see any other options, loves."_

_\- "There wasn't much evidence of note found at the scene of the murder."_

_\- "There was a photograph dropped near the body, but we don't see how it could tie in."_

_\- "The bag of the defendant didn't have much of anything to pay attention to either."_

_\- "In fact, the only real piece of evidence we have is an undergarment that was floating near the corpse at the scene of the murder."_

_\- "Unfortunately, we haven't a clue who it belongs to."_

_\- "Because of this lack of evidence, we had to arrest the defendant on other factors, such as her motive and lack of alibi."_

_\- "As of now, there is no hard evidence to prove that she did it."_

"Hold it!"

"I have a question to ask you, if you don't mind," I said, a small frown on my face. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I was hoping and praying to whatever gods, goddesses, or other higher powers (maybe a giant sheep) existed out there that I got this one right. "You said that you have no hard evidence to prove that she did it, but... What if I presented some hard evidence that she is not the culprit? In other words, I think I can prove that she did not push the victim into the lake that day and drown him. I believe that our sole piece of evidence in this case can show us the truth of the matter."

"You do?" Detective Wattson asked. "You are referring to the garment, yes, love?"

"I am," I nodded. God, this was going to sound so embarrassing. I shot a glance at Chrysalis, who was keeping up a passive front. I got the feeling she would freak if I brought up what I was about to say, so I didn't tell her about it in advance. With a small sigh to prepare myself, I began to speak. "Pardon me for asking, but was the defendant wearing a similar garment when she was arrested? I don't think I ever got an answer on the matter, so if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to hear it now." I was trying my best to sound professional despite the subject not exactly seeming that way.

"She was," Robbie cut in quickly, obviously as eager to get this conversation over with as I was. "Why do you ask? Do you think it has some bearing on this murder?"

"I think so," I replied. "If she was wearing that sort of thing when she was arrested, then the garment found in the lake could not have been hers. Nobody carries around something like that. Even if someone knew that this murder was going to occur, it wouldn't make sense with the other facts of the case. To put it simply, the garment cannot belong to my client."

"Please explain what you mean to the court, defense," Judge Frost instructed of me, narrowing her eyes in my direction. I could feel myself wilting ever so slightly under her gaze. About thirty minutes ago, I had never even met her, but now, I was definitely terrified when she looked at me like that.

Despite this, I gulped and nodded. "Alright. Think about it like this. If the crime was premeditated, somebody would have undoubtedly wanted to bring another weapon, such as a knife or gun. However, there was no other weapon used to kill the victim. It was just the water that ultimately killed him. That being said, we can deduce that this murder was committed on a random impulse. Nobody planned it out ahead of time. If they had, they also would have brought along a second garment to cover their tracks. Since this crime wasn't premeditated though, nobody would have known to bring something like that along. That means that it couldn't possibly belong to my client. Somebody else is the owner of the garment that was found next to the body when it was first discovered."

"That makes sense," Chrysalis said with a nod from beside me. "Drowning is a very unorthodox method of murder anyways. There are countless ways it could go wrong. The person could escape. They could fight back since it takes so long to do. They could do all sorts of things to strike against the killer. If it was planned in advance, you would have wanted to bring another weapon to end things much quicker. If the victim got away, you wouldn't be able to rely on the water to kill them. They'd be able to tell authorities about the attempt and it would all go downhill from there. Anyone smart would certainly bring something else to finish the job as backup."

"Exactly. Our criminal clearly knew what they were doing. They didn't leave behind any evidence at the scene for us to pick up and mess around with. We're dealing with an intellectual. I bet they would have brought something along to kill the victim if the drowning failed. Basically, all of this is to say that our killer did not plan this out in advance, and thus did not bring along an extra garment, so it cannot belong to my client," I declared, placing my hands on my hips. I smiled to myself in pride. I was pretty happy with what I had deduced right there. It was definitely going to be helpful to us later on in the trial.

However, despite this, I was met with silence after all was said and done. I couldn't help but feel anxiety build up inside me. Did I say something wrong? Did I jump to conclusions too soon? Was the prosecution going to use this against me when the trial got into its later stages? Not even Judge Frost was saying anything. My heart sped up in anticipation of someone, anyone, saying something about the situation.

"I believe that you're right on the matter," Robbie finally said. "I doubt that this crime was premeditated. Nobody regularly carries around stuff like that either. There would have to be a reason for it, and a situational one at that. I believe that you're right on the defendant not owning the garment we found with the body."

I felt my shoulders relax. "Thank goodness..." I whispered quietly to keep anybody from thinking I had lost confidence. The gallery would definitely doubt me if I showed signs of weakness like that, which was the last thing I wanted. I was already struggling enough as it was to get through this mess of a case. I didn't need judgmental whispers to make me feel even worse about the whole situation.

"However," Prosecutor Cruz began, making my heart drop again, "I don't think that's all we can say on the matter. Like I said earlier, there's always the possibility that it's completely unrelated. That means that your claim about her not owning the garment and thus not being the culprit would become null and void since it has nothing to do with the case. On top of that, this doesn't change the fact that she doesn't have an alibi for the time of the murder. She has a strong motive as well. If the garment is unrelated, then it means your case has just fallen apart. What do you think of that?"

Before I had the chance to reply, Robbie cut in. "We cannot make a decision such as that yet. The garment may be able to determine everything about this murder, so we can't at all be hasty in our decisions regarding it. We need to evaluate the case in other ways before something like that can be decided upon. If you ask me, I think we should temporarily leave this subject and talk about something else. We have another witness to call to the stand. She's our main witness for this crime, so I believe that we should certainly hear her testimony before coming to any solid conclusions," he said. "She can give us some much-needed information."

"I must agree," nodded Judge Frost. "Prosecution, if you would please, call the next witness to the stand to testify on what she saw that day."

Robbie nodded and closed his eyes in silence before speaking. "The prosecution now calls Cassidy Rinko to the witness stand," he announced with a small but still noticeable snap of his fingers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly lacking in ideas as to what I should say here. I've seen a lot of weird things today though, such as a Toad mafia and a baby doll commercial. Does that count as an author's note??? I hope so because I don't have anything else to say
> 
> -Digital


	25. Turnabout on the Waves, Part 5

**May 30**

**Courtroom No. 2**

**11:15 AM**

**Lily Shield**

Cassidy approached the witness stand, playing with the jet-black tips to her hair. She was glancing around the courtroom nervously, as if she was afraid of something. I realized soon after thinking this that she was likely concerned about what she had told us yesterday. If one of the investigators of the murder was seen fleeing from the scene, Cassidy could be in some serious danger. If they caught wind of it, they'd undoubtedly target her. For all we knew, they could be in the courtroom watching, waiting for her to say something that they could use against her. I felt myself shudder just thinking about something so dark.

"Please state your name and occupation," Robbie instructed of her, tapping his fingers against the prosecution bench before him aimlessly. I couldn't tell if she had spoken with him about her suspicions or not. If she had, Robbie wasn't doing anything to show me that they'd talked about it. I wasn't entirely sure if he was going to buy it or not when he heard, assuming he hadn't already. On one hand, he could claim that she was only trying to protect her friend and keep her from going to jail since she did kill the victim. On the other, he could trust her since she's worked at the Prosecutor's Office for quite some time now as the assistant to Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. I couldn't say for sure how he was going to respond, but I couldn't just speculate about it for now. I'd have to wait and see if I wanted the answer to that riddle.

"My name is Cassidy Rinko," Cassidy said softly, staring down at her toes in silence. "I'm a high school student at Blackgate High School near here. I also work as the assistant to the district's chief prosecutor, Ghastly Bespoke. I've been working alongside him for about two years now both in and out of court."

"Thank you, witness," Judge Frost nodded. "Please tell the court about what you saw the day of the murder. Do not leave any details out."

"I understand," Cassidy assured her. She seemed to be getting paler as the seconds passed by. This moment right here was going to be one of the most important in the entire case. If she told the truth, we would be able to free Ms. Mercure sooner, but we'd have to adjourn court to find another suspect, which would inevitably hurt Cassidy since the real killer would have more chances to go after her. If she hid the information about the figure she saw, it would be harder to find evidence to help out Ms. Mercure, but we wouldn't have to worry as much about a second victim appearing out of nowhere. Either way, things were not going to be ending pretty for this case, that was for sure.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ What I Saw ~**

_\- "I-I was there that day with Neptune. She wanted to talk with the victim about the Oracle of the Law."_

_\- "Both of them have been looking into it recently, though neither one of them has found anything conclusive."_

_\- "Neptune was going to talk to him, but after a big argument, they split up."_

_\- "Later on, while we were fixing her car, her bag went missing. She thought he had taken it, so we parted ways to find it."_

_\- "I went over by the docks. I was searching in some bushes thinking that he might have hidden it there, but..."_

_\- "Instead of finding the bag, I saw the body floating nearby...!"_

_\- "I also saw... No, never mind. It isn't important."_

"That sounds about like what the prosecution mentioned before," Judge Frost noted. She seemed to be intentionally ignoring the last statement like she didn't think it mattered. I couldn't quite say the reasoning behind it nor was I sure that it mattered. We could ask about it later on in the trial anyways.

"It does match up rather well," Robbie agreed with a nod. "Alright, defense. It's time for you to look over her testimony."

"Do you think Cassidy told them about the person she saw?" I asked, turning to Chrysalis.

"I think there's a chance she did. Prosecutor Cruz has been oddly silent since she turned up. I can't say for sure if it's a good or bad thing, but I guess we'll see," Chrysalis frowned. "For now, I'm afraid that we'll have to draw the truth out of her. As much as I hesitate to do so for her safety, I feel that this is the only way we'll find the truth. Besides, maybe we can get a few trusted friends to look out for her should somebody turn up to attack her. I could probably find somebody around to help us out in that regard. However, until we can ask for any assistance, we need to wrap this up. We'll have to reveal the truth behind what she witnessed. Don't hold anything back."

"Alright," I nodded. "I'll begin my cross-examination now."

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ What I Saw ~**

_\- "I-I was there that day with Neptune. She wanted to talk with the victim about the Oracle of the Law."_

_\- "Both of them have been looking into it recently, though neither one of them has found anything conclusive."_

_\- "Neptune was going to talk to him, but after a big argument, they split up."_

_\- "Later on, while we were fixing her car, her bag went missing. She thought he had taken it, so we parted ways to find it."_

_\- "I went over by the docks. I was searching in some bushes thinking that he might have hidden it there, but..."_

_\- "Instead of finding the bag, I saw the body floating nearby...!"_

_\- "I also saw... No, never mind. It isn't important."_

"Hold it!"

As I spoke, I internally hoped and prayed that Cassidy would be able to forgive me for what I was about to do. "I think that what you were going to say is very important, witness," I told her with a small frown. I pleaded internally with the great sheep god that Ms. Mercure had mentioned that the person Cassidy had seen was not in the courtroom at the moment since that would undoubtedly spell trouble for Cassidy in at least twelve different ways. "If you don't mind my asking, would you please tell us what you saw that day? We'll be able to use it to find the truth behind this case. We could free your friend if you can tell us all you know about the case. I know how much you care about her." I knew factually that she already knew all of this stuff, but I wanted to repeat it for her mental sake. She could definitely use some reassurance, which I was glad to provide to her in her moment of need.

Cassidy's shoulders grew somewhat tense. She let out a small sigh. "Alright..." she whispered. "I saw somebody fleeing from the scene of the murder. I know it wasn't Neptune. It was somebody else entirely. I think that they're the one who killed the victim. I didn't see much, but I can tell you what I do know."

"Please do," Prosecutor Cruz piped in, crossing his arms and frowning. I could tell that he wasn't exactly buying it. Judging by the doubt on his face, it seemed to me that Cassidy had told them about what she'd seen that day. Robbie was a bit more trusting than Prosecutor Cruz, it seemed, so while he was able to follow what Cassidy was saying and trust her on it, Prosecutor Cruz wasn't quite so quick to believe her on her word, likely since she hadn't mentioned it sooner.

"I saw a woman running away from the body. She had long hair, but it wasn't the same texture or anything as Neptune's. It looked to be a lot thinner. Plus, it was perfectly straight, and as you can see when you look at Neptune..." At Cassidy's words, we all turned to look at Ms. Mercure, specifically noting her puffy and curly hair. "That doesn't exactly match the description of the woman I saw. Plus, Neptune wasn't quite as busty as the figure I saw."

"Can you give us any specifics on their hair color or what they were wearing?" Judge Frost asked, her face tightly knit into a frown.

"I'm afraid not... Because of the way the sun was positioned at the time, I could only see a silhouette. I can still promise you with complete certainty that it wasn't Neptune though. There is no way that the person I saw was Neptune. If it was, I certainly would have recognized her," Cassidy told Judge Frost.

"How can we trust what you are saying at face value?" Prosecutor Cruz asked. "For all we know, you could just be lying to protect the defendant. If I recall correctly, the two of you are close friends. I wouldn't be surprised if you were saying these things, pinning the blame on someone else, just to keep her from going to jail. As crazy as it sounds, there are people that try to protect murderers. Are you one of those strange and wild people, witness? Are you?"

"N-No, I swear that I'm telling the truth!" Cassidy cried. "If somebody I knew had committed a crime, especially murder, I would definitely tell somebody about it! Letting them roam around is just asking for somebody else to get hurt or killed! Trust me, if she did it, I wouldn't be here trying to protect her reputation!"

"Calm yourself, Prosecutor Cruz," Judge Frost cut in harshly. "As of now, we have no reason to doubt or trust her words. Without evidence, testimony is simply empty words, talk of random people on the street. We cannot prove or disprove what she is saying, so we don't have a reason to dwell on it with argumentation. However, we are lacking in evidence, which means that we may have to follow along for the time being. Even if we learn later she was telling lies, we can simply start from a different place and try to find the truth from there. However, as of right now, all we can do is listen. We will lose nothing by doing so. I think that we should have her tell us more about the mysterious figure that she saw, this time in a formal testimony. This way, through cross-examination, we can press her and hear more on the matter. If there are no objections, I will have her begin a second testimony. What do you think, defense? Prosecution?"

"I'd be happy to have her testify again," I said with a nod. I was surprised but happy that Judge Frost was letting us listen more to Cassidy. It would definitely help out our case if we could get just a bit more information out of her regarding the mysterious figure. Ms. Mercure was closer and closer to being freed each and every minute! I could definitely get used to having a judge on my side like this!

"Fine," grumbled Prosecutor Cruz. "Even if I think this could lead to nothing but disappointment, fine."

"The prosecution has no objections," Robbie cut in, shooting a small glare to Prosecutor Cruz. I would have to ask him later about how working with Prosecutor Cruz was. From what I could tell, he was absolutely miserable, even if he was hiding it rather well. A sister's instinct can always reveal that stuff.

"In that case, begin your testimony now," Judge Frost instructed. Cassidy responded with a small nod and spoke once more.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Shadowy Figure ~**

_\- "The person I saw was definitely taller than Neptune, but I doubt the difference was more than a few inches."_

_\- "They were really busty like I mentioned earlier, so maybe they owned the garment found in the lake."_

_\- "Their hair was straight and thin, which doesn't at all match up with Neptune's hair."_

_\- "They were running away from the crime scene quickly, like they were trying to escape."_

_\- "I have a feeling that I've seen this person around the crime scene, actually, though I can't say for sure..."_

_\- "I don't know their name either. I saw the person who I think I glimpsed before from a distance, so that might be wrong."_

_\- "To put it simply, I saw somebody that day. Sorry for not mentioning it before."_

"Why didn't you mention it before, witness?" Prosecutor Cruz asked, his expression an intense glare. "You should have told someone during the official questioning session yesterday. Just bringing it up now makes it seem like you may have fabricated it just to keep your friend from going to jail. It's suspicious."

"I'm sorry... I was too scared to even think about it. I couldn't say for sure if the person I saw was on the investigation team or not, so I was worried that if they heard, they'd try to silence me," Cassidy explained to him. "I'm really sorry about it. I just didn't want to get hurt... I don't even know their name or any other details aside from what I mentioned. When I saw somebody who looked similar around the crime scene, it was from really far away. I couldn't see any details then either, so I don't think I can tell you much else. I wish I could say more, but..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at her feet, clearly looking for an excuse to not have to meet Prosecutor Cruz's eyes for much longer. His glare certainly was intense, to put it simply. I certainly wouldn't want to be on the other side of it.

"Regardless, I think that we should have the defense begin the cross-examination. We can discuss this more in a moment," Judge Frost cut in, making Prosecutor Cruz back off. "If you wouldn't mind, defense..."

"I'll get right to it," I nodded. Cassidy closed her eyes and repeated her testimony after I gestured for her to do so.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Shadowy Figure ~**

_\- "The person I saw was definitely taller than Neptune, but I doubt the difference was more than a few inches."_

_\- "They were really busty like I mentioned earlier, so maybe they owned the garment found in the lake."_

_\- "Their hair was straight and thin, which doesn't at all match up with Neptune's hair."_

_\- "They were running away from the crime scene quickly, like they were trying to escape."_

_\- "I have a feeling that I've seen this person around the crime scene, actually, though I can't say for sure..."_

_\- "I don't know their name either. I saw the person who I think I glimpsed before from a distance, so that might be wrong."_

_\- "To put it simply, I saw somebody that day. Sorry for not mentioning it before."_

"Hold it!"

"So you said that this person was from the investigative team, correct?" I asked. "Or, at the very least, you suspect that they're involved in the case somehow?"

Cassidy nodded. "Yeah... I'm not entirely positive though. After thinking I saw them, I stayed as far away as I could. I didn't want to get too close in case they heard about what I saw and tried to hurt me. In my time working with Ghastly, I've seen a lot of cases where killers will do anything to silence witnesses. I didn't want to be the next one attacked or drugged so they'd forget about everything that happened, you know?" she asked. She was still toying with the tips of her hair quietly, clearly nervous that she was going to end up hurt despite being in a public place such as this one.

"If you think that you saw somebody like that, I think that it's reason enough for us to halt this trial for the time being and do a little bit of questioning," I suggested. "If the witness really did see somebody from the investigative team running from the body that day, we have a lead. We need her to help us figure out who it was so we can lock them up or hear what they have to say on the matter. This case is lacking in evidence. Anything that we can get can help us in the long run. With barely anything to go off, I don't see any other choice than to see if she can help us figure out who the person she saw was."

"Objection!"

"We can't just trust her words like that! For all we know, she could still be lying to protect her friend! Without any evidence to back it up, we can't just go along with this sudden nonsense! If she really saw this stuff, she should have brought it up during the official session of questioning yesterday!" Prosecutor Cruz exclaimed. "If we just go along with this, we could come to all sorts of false conclusions! For all we know, she could be an accomplice trying to pin this on an innocent investigator!"

"Objection!"

"You don't have any evidence to prove that, Prosecutor Cruz." I was shocked to hear that this voice belonged to Robbie. I hadn't expected him to step up in this way. He normally didn't lose his cool to openly object with his partner in court. As a matter of fact, I had never seen it happen before. "While that is a possibility, there's also the chance that she's telling the truth. If you're spouting baseless assumptions like this, then you could be the one to lead us to a false conclusion. What do you think of that?"

"Objection!"

"You can go around acting all high and mighty, saying that I have no proof on that, but you don't have any proof that she's telling the truth! For all we know, she could be an accomplice to the killer! Anybody could easily get hurt if we take her words at face value! Do you want people to get killed over this stuff?!" Prosecutor Cruz roared in response. He slammed his hands against the bench before him, making me flinch. I wanted to break up their fighting, knowing full well that something bad could happen if I didn't, but at the same time, something deep inside me was too scared to even think about it.

"Objection!"

"The witness could easily get killed if we aren't careful and delicate with this situation! While I understand what you're saying about there not being any evidence, we have to be sensible about this! We barely have any evidence pointing to the defendant's guilt or innocence! If we need to follow along with what the witness is saying for a little while so that we'll be a little bit closer to the truth, then so be it! I think that we should listen to what she has to say until it's been proven without a shadow of a doubt that she's lying!" Robbie cried out in response. He didn't get mad enough to the point of yelling very often. It had been years since I'd seen him do something like that. I could tell that he was getting angrier than he'd been in a long time. I looked to Chrysalis, wondering what she was thinking. She just had her thumb pressed against her bottom lip in fear, clearly unsure of what she was supposed to do to break this up.

Fortunately for us, we didn't have to do anything to quiet the bickering men. Judge Frost picked up her gavel and slammed it loudly against the podium before her. "Enough of this!" she shouted. "You both will stop yelling this instant! We have much more important things to discuss, such as where the trial is going to head from here on out. It's clear that we can't exactly continue things as they are. Without somebody being conclusively named by the witness, we can't call anyone else in to give testimony. To me, it seems that we have no choice but to adjourn court for the time being. I would like both sides to investigate thoroughly and bring up as much evidence as they can find. Prosecution, I need you to conduct a session in which the witness sees if she can figure out who she saw the day of the murder. We'll need that detail if we are to proceed with this case tomorrow. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," came the response of Robbie, who had taken to crossing his arms instead of arguing with Prosecutor Cruz. In a way, they were rather similar. Sure, Prosecutor Cruz was a bit more stubborn and headstrong than Robbie was (which is actually a bit of an accomplishment given how my brother could be at times), but they had a similar structure. They both believed greatly in the things they had faith in and wouldn't let it waver. While Robbie was on my side in believing that Cassidy was telling the truth (likely since he trusted in the me that believed in her), Prosecutor Cruz wasn't quite so sure. That was just his take on the matter, it seemed. Even if they were so much alike though, I couldn't help but question whoever thought it was a good idea to pair them up. In my eyes, it seems like a recipe for nothing short of complete disaster, if their giant argument mere moments before wasn't enough of an indication of that already.

"Defense, I take it that you'll look into what you must as well, yes?" Judge Frost questioned, turning to Chrysalis and I next. She was turning her gavel over between her fingers, clearly itching to slam it down and bring the trial to an end for the day. I couldn't at all say that I blamed her. After that big blowup from the prosecution, anybody would be desperate to get away from an awkward situation like that, myself included. Chrysalis seemed just as eager to escape it as I was, judging by her constant shifts in position.

"Of course, Judge Frost," I confirmed with a nod. Admittedly, I had no idea what we'd be looking into. Until we got word from Cassidy about who the figure she saw was, we couldn't really talk to anybody without risking it being a waste of time. We'd be doing quite a bit of sitting around and thinking for the start of the afternoon. I wasn't entirely excited for it, given the fact that I'd just end up nervous and jittery about it, but at the same time, I longed for a moment to just take a deep breath and relax at the agency. The case had been chaotic thus far, and I highly doubted it was going to be getting much better anytime soon.

"In that case, court is adjourned," Judge Frost declared. She didn't bother repeating our instructions to us like other judges may have, instead getting directly to the point. She slammed her gavel down quickly and got to her feet. At this motion, everyone in the courtroom did the same. I began to gather my papers together so I'd be able to take them with me more easily. Chrysalis began to help out. I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was distracted about something, but since it was so loud in the courtroom thanks to the gallery, I wasn't able to ask. Instead, I just made a mental note to myself to question her about it later.

**May 30**

**Defendant Lobby No. 4**

**12:30 AM**

**Lily Shield**

When we were finally cleared of the crowd and back out in the lobby, I let out a small sigh. "I don't know about you, Chrysalis, but I definitely think that could have gone better," I told her. While I also knew that things could have easily gotten much, much worse, the trial hadn't exactly gone perfectly either. In a way, I suppose that was to be expected when this was my first trial without Mr. Morix at my side. It was bound to seem difficult. The lack of evidence and bickering between Robbie and Prosecutor Cruz certainly didn't help the situation one bit, just stressing me out even more than I thought possible.

"I guess we can just be happy Judge Frost didn't rule Neptune guilty right off the bat. I bet there are some people out there who would jump the gun and declare that she did it without looking into the facts first," Chrysalis said. She was playing with the gray sleeves on her jacket, not meeting my eyes for some reason. "If you don't mind, Lily, I think I'm going to meet you down at the crime scene a bit later on. There are a few things I want to take care of before we keep looking into the murder. You don't need to wait for me. You can just head on down there and start looking around. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Alright," I nodded. "What is it that you want to do? I can always help if you think that you might need it. I may be new to this lawyer business, but I like to think that I'm not entirely useless at it, you know?"

"I just want to talk to my brother a little bit," Chrysalis explained simply, still tugging gently on the edge of her sleeve absentmindedly. "I'd prefer to do it in person is all. I'm going to chat with him a little bit about what's happened, get some advice from him to see if he has any tips for us, and then I'll meet you back at the lake. If you think that you'll need me sooner, just shoot me a text and I'll try to come over a bit sooner. Does that sound okay to you?"

"That sounds fine to me," I shrugged. "I'm going to talk to Ms. Mercure a little bit about the murder and head over there myself. I hope to see you soon. When you're about to arrive, text me so I can tell you where I am. We're going to need all the investigative time that we can get, so I don't want you wandering around wondering where I disappeared to. That would only waste the precious minutes that Judge Frost was generous enough to give us today."

Chrysalis nodded and turned on her heel, walking away with a wave. I watched her go before glancing around, looking for Ms. Mercure. She appeared next to me not long after, arms crossed as she met my eyes. "I'm glad that I'm still on trial, oddly enough," she sighed. "It's better than being written off as a murderer right out of the gate, you know? Regardless, I'll be counting on you two to help me get out of the detention center tomorrow. I take it you're still up to the task?"

"Of course I am!" I chirped. "I'm going to have you out of the detention center as soon as I can! I'm going to be heading down to the lake to keep investigating. Chrysalis won't be joining me until later, but I'm going to find all that I can while I'm there. Is there anything in particular about the murder you want me to hear about ahead of time? I've already heard a majority of what we know so far, but I might as well check in case something has popped up, you know?"

Ms. Mercure nodded. "I understand. I don't think I have anything for you though," she said with a small shrug. "Sorry about that. But... I would like you to help me out with Cassidy. I don't want her to get hurt. Do you think you could maybe see if anybody you know would be willing to look after her? If the killer really is part of the investigation team, she could end up in some serious trouble. Maybe Chrysalis could ask the chief prosecutor. They seem to be friends, at least from what Cassidy has told me since we first met."

"I'll text her and see what she can arrange," I told her. "Is that all that you need from me?"

"As of now, yes. I want you to come by and tell me about the results of your investigation after you've finished everything up for today. I'm curious about the details. I sort of have to be, since I'm on trial and could be facing life in prison," Ms. Mercure joked with a small but tired sigh. "I should be getting back to the detention center now. I'll see you a little bit later, Ms. Shield."

I bid Ms. Mercure farewell and headed for the door myself. It was time to head to the crime scene and pray that I didn't accidentally run into Prosecutor Cruz once I got there. I did not want to put up with him if he was going to be in a grumpy mood. After all, I already had other things to take care of as it was.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to come up with better author's notes. Yikes. 
> 
> -Digital


	26. Turnabout on the Waves, Part 6

**May 30**

**Rhiza Lake**

**1:30 PM**

**Lily Shield**

I ended up taking my time in getting to the scene of the crime. I had stayed around at the courthouse for a little while, trying to find Robbie to talk to him about the case, but when I couldn't find him after thirty minutes, I decided to head to the lake. Things were already chaotic when I arrived. Part of me regretted not coming here sooner. With so many people around, it could easily be hard to figure out anything new regarding the murder. I certainly had my work cut out for me already.

The first new figure I saw was a woman. She didn't look like the one described by Cassidy, so I didn't mind going over to talk to her. She seemed to be somewhat lost. Her hair was white and cropped close to her cheeks. On either side of her face, there were small chunks of hair dyed light blue, fading out to pastel purple at the edges. She wore a long white jacket that reached all the way down to her knees. It was left unbuttoned. She had on a light blue shirt beneath the jacket. Her leggings were black up near her hips, though they transitioned to a darker purple and then to a lighter amethyst color as they went down her legs. She had black boots on that reached her ankles. Her eyes were blue and had something of an unspoken gentleness to them that I couldn't quite describe. The woman yawned and rubbed at her eyes tiredly before noticing I was there. "Huh...? Who might you be?" she asked softly, stretching her arms up above her head. Somehow, she looked about as tired as Ms. Mercure, squinting at me until I was really close to her.

"My name is Lily Shield. I'm the lead defense attorney on this case," I explained. "I didn't see you around here yesterday. Plus, you looked lost, so I figured that maybe I'd be able to help you. Are you one of the new investigators looking into this case? It would explain why you weren't around at the start."

"You could say something like that," the woman replied, rubbing her eyes once more. Her lengthy sleeves covered up most of her hands. What little I could see appeared to also be hidden by white gloves that hugged her skin tightly. "I'm with Interpol. After hearing that the victim was investigating the infamous Oracle of the Law, I decided to drop in here and see what I could find since I've been trying to learn the truth for ages upon ages now. I can't exactly tell you my name since it's against company policy and all that stuff, but I guess telling you my letter wouldn't hurt... For now, you can call me O. It's nice to meet you."

"You're with Interpol?" I asked in shock. I had heard quite a bit about Interpol in the past thanks to the news, but I'd never met a real agent from there before. It was an international thing, so Interpol agents weren't very common sights. Most of the time, they'd be off solving whatever big issue was shaking the world next. I never would have anticipated an agent from a big company like that would be here, looking into a small murder case about a guy with gambling issues who drowned. It just seems too simple for somebody as important as that. "Why can't you tell me your name?"

"It could get people hurt," O explained, yawning. "Since we're so important in solving big time crimes and the like, if our names got out, culprits could use people close to us as hostages or even kill them to get us under their little finger. It's just a matter of keeping people safe. We don't even know the full names of our coworkers. Well, our leader, M, knows all about our real names, but he'd never spill anything. The point is, I'm not allowed to tell anyone who I really am. Sorry if that's an inconvenience, but I'd rather not get fired for telling a common person my real name."

"I get it," I nodded, telling myself not to take offense to the 'common person' remark. "So... You said you were here investigating Oracle, correct?"

O nodded. "The victim was looking into the Oracle of the Law a lot up until he died. I've been leading this project for years now, ever since Oracle's existence was leaked to the public. I want to figure out who they are. M says that they could cause a whole lot of trouble in other countries if they ever went international, so my job is to try to figure out who they are. We'll decide what to do with them from there. Until then, I'm just floating around, trying to learn whatever I can... Wait a moment. You seem familiar. Don't you work at Morix Law Offices or something? I think I saw you behind the defense bench of a precious case involving Oracle a few months ago. Would you remember something like that?"

"Yes, I was," I confirmed. "My agency has been involved in all the cases to do with Oracle, it seems. I mean, we had that one, the murder at the prison where the killer was trying to scare Oracle, the case a year ago where they were first publicly seen... I guess that's just our luck. I'm afraid I can't tell you much aside from that though. I don't know anything else. Oracle is doing a pretty good job at staying secretive, even from my agency, which seems to get dragged into their mess at every known chance. If that's what you were here to ask about, I'm sorry. I just don't have a clue who Oracle could be."

"That's alright. I didn't think anybody around here would know anyways," O said with a small shrug. "I'm mostly here to look through the belongings of the victim. He seemed to know a little something. He's dead now, so he doesn't really have much use for that information now. I doubt that he's figured much of anything out since Oracle is so secretive, but I might as well try. I want to learn the truth as soon as possible, so I need to pursue every possible lead, especially since you don't get very many when you're in this sort of business. Oracle is a slippery one. I wish I could hear a little bit more about them..."

"Same here," I admitted. "But I guess that we can't do much about that right now. Without more information on Oracle, we can't look into them and figure out who they are. We'll just have to let it go for the time being. I wish you luck in your searching though. I hope that you can find at least a little something soon. I can only imagine it's rather frustrating to try to find them only to come up short each time. I'd definitely get a bit irritated after repeating that cycle for a while."

"It's not so bad. I like working with Interpol. Everyone there is pretty nice. Even if I'm a bit lacking in information right now, I know it's just a matter of time before something appears, and when it does, I'll jump at the chance to learn more," O told me, rubbing at her eyes. Either she was really tired or that was definitely a habit of hers. Maybe it was both. "Until then, I should get going. I have a lot to get caught up on if I want to be able to listen in on the trial tomorrow. Maybe I'll talk to you later. Maybe I won't. I guess we'll see... Oh well. Bye."

O walked away yawning once again. I couldn't say much about her aside from that she was clearly a unique character. I doubted very highly that she was the one Cassidy had seen since she was new to the investigation and looked nothing like Cassidy's description. I didn't even know how she could at all tie into the case. If she wasn't involved, then she probably didn't have any bearing on the verdict. I could easily just ignore our encounter and continue going on about my business for the time being. Until something said that she was involved, I could just let her roam around and do whatever. It's not like I could stop her from doing that anyways. She's an agent from Interpol. I'm a lawyer, and a new one at that. There's sort of an authority difference, and I'll give you a hint, I'm not the one on top.

My phone rang not long after. I pulled it out of my pocket, instantly assuming it was Chrysalis. Oddly enough, it wasn't. I frowned and answered the call anyways. It wasn't a blocked number, and it was apparently from somewhere in the city. My curiosity got the better of me as it usually did. "Hello?" I asked into the speaker, hoping it wasn't going to be some random troll or seller trying to get me to buy something random and ultimately useless in everyday life.

"Ms. Shield!" came the voice from the other side. It only took me a moment to figure out who it was, which left me with my mouth open in a gasp.

"Cassidy?" I asked. "How did you get my number?" I hadn't given it to her since I didn't think of it, so I didn't have a clue where she had gotten it from. Whatever the cause, it meant that she was likely out of the questioning session. Well, either that or it hadn't started yet. I couldn't say for sure. I could ask her that in a moment, after she'd responded to my question about getting my phone number. I wanted to hear about that first and foremost since, once again, my curiosity was getting the better of me.

"I asked Chrysalis for it. I figured you'd want to know when I was finished talking with your brother and Prosecutor Cruz. We've figured out who the person I saw was. I can tell you who it is, but I'd much rather do it in person. I'm alone at the moment, so I don't need anyone getting a motive to attack and try to silence me," Cassidy said. "Can you meet me over by the body? I'm down here at the lake. Oddly enough, they questioned me here instead of down at the station, so I'm not very far away from it."

"That sounds good to me. I'll head right over there," I told her. After bidding her a quick farewell, I ended the call and dropped my phone back into my purse. If Cassidy had already figured out who she had seen running away from the scene of the murder, this investigation was definitely going to be sped up. I was glad for it. I could question the person she saw and get that out of the way so I could start speculating how the murder had been executed. With so little evidence, I was definitely going to need as much thinking time as I could get. I didn't want to go into the second day of the trial unprepared. I was almost afraid of the horrors that would be brought upon me by Judge Frost if I even thought about doing that.

When I arrived at the dock near the corpse, Cassidy was already there. She was playing with he ends of her hair, looking down at the ground quietly. She waved as I approached. "I figured out who the person I saw was," she explained. "Prosecutor Cruz showed me pictures of investigators on this case at the request of Prosecutor Shield. I figured out who it was pretty early on. He said that he would try to question her, and that until then, I shouldn't be alone. I got a text from Ghastly saying that he's going to be meeting me down here to make sure I don't get into any trouble, but he hasn't shown up yet, so I figured staying with you was another strong option."

"That's a good idea. If this investigator is really wild enough to think killing someone is a good idea, then they could definitely pose a threat to you," I agreed. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you. Promise."

"Sorry we're late."

I turned upon hearing the voice of a man behind me. I turned to see three people, two women and a man. I recognized the man as Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, but I wasn't too sure who the girls with him were. As I looked a bit closer, I realized that the older of the two had been in the photo found at the scene of the crime. Her lengthy teal hair made her rather distinctive. Didn't Chrysalis say her name was Sarah or something like that?

I focused my attention on the younger woman of the two instead of lingering on it. She had light brown hair that was tied into two long braids over her shoulders. A small segment of her hair wasn't pulled back. This section covered up her left eye. She had blue eyes and purple glasses. A black jacket covered her arms. A golden badge was pinned to it. She had a white shirt beneath it with a blue tie. Her skirt was the same blue. She had knee-high black socks and white ankle boots.

"Ghastly!" Cassidy cried out. She ran up to greet him, a smile on her face. "I'm glad you came. I could really use your support right now."

"It was our pleasure, Cassidy," the older woman grinned. "We wouldn't just leave you alone if you could potentially be in danger. Chrysalis texted me this morning and asked that we all come down here to look after you. Of course, we had to get a certain someone out of bed before we could come..."

"I-I'm sorry! I had to do paperwork from last night! Polly would have killed me if I slouched on it!" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke cried out defensively.

I just stared at the interaction unfolding before me. I didn't exactly know how to respond. They all seemed to be at least familiar with each other while I was just standing there like a bump on a pickle.

"I don't think we've met," came the voice of the older woman. She smiled radiantly my way. "My name is Sora Lin. I'm a district prosecutor. I'm sure you already know Ghastly here, my beefy boyfriend. Finally, this is Niamh Wood. She's our adopted daughter. What would your name be, sweetheart?"

I found myself blushing furiously at the sweetheart comment. The only people that had ever called me that were my mother and brother. I never would have expected to hear something like that from a woman I had just met. "I-I'm Lily Shield... I work at Morix Law Offices and I'm the lawyer on this case..." I said awkwardly. I knew there were worse people when it came to being embarrassed and stuff, but I still felt like I was as red as a tomato.

"Morix Law Offices? You must be one of my brother's new helpers," Prosecutor Lin remarked.

"You're Mr. Morix's sister?" I asked in shock. I never would have anticipated that. Their hair colors were completely different for one. Plus, Prosecutor Lin seemed cheery and excitable. Mr. Morix, on the other hand, was relaxed and logical, if not a bit prone to panic. That meant that this woman was also Chrysalis' sister, which cast me back to our conversation over the dropped photo. Now that I thought about it, I did remember her saying something to that effect...

"Yep! He's my big brother, though I doubt you'd guess that off the bat. Our only real similarity is our eyes," Prosecutor Lin went on. "But we aren't here to talk about genetics or anything like that. Instead, let's talk about the case! I get the feeling there's a lot to discuss. Plus, I'm sure Niamh here is curious. She really wanted to take on this case, but in the end, plans changed."

"Plans changed?" I echoed in curiosity.

"I-It's a long story," Niamh stammered, staring at her toes quietly.

We were all silent for a moment before Chief Prosecutor Bespoke piped in. "How's the case coming along? Do you know who the killer is yet?" he asked, obviously trying to break the awkward air surrounding us.

"Not yet, but we do have our suspicions," I told him. "We won't know for sure without evidence though. With some investigating, we should be able to figure out who it is conclusively though."

"That's right! I never told you guys who he woman I saw was!" Cassidy gasped. She glanced around to make sure the five of us were alone before speaking. "I'll have to stay quiet. I don't want her to hear me and try to pull anything while I'm alone..."

"If something does happen, we can protect you!" chirped Prosecutor Lin. "Ghastly and I can kick some serious ass, let me tell you."

"I know you do. You're both incredibly strong," Cassidy smiled gently. "I guess it's better safe than sorry though. I don't want to be a burden to you two by getting hurt. You're already helping me out a lot by offering to do all this in the first place. It means the world to me."

"It's our pleasure, Cassidy," Prosecutor Lin assured her. "You've been a friend for years. We can't just sit back and ignore it if you're in trouble. That wouldn't exactly be a noble thing as a prosecutor."

"You're right..." Cassidy said softly. She shook her head and continued talking. "Anyways, the person who I saw that day was named--"

"There you are!"

I gasped upon hearing Chrysalis' familiar voice from behind me. She waved in my direction and walked closer. "I was wondering where you wandered off to. I just got here from the agency. Cotoli dropped me off," she explained. "Anyways, I'm glad to see that you got my message to come down here, Sora. I figured Cassidy would want to ask Ghastly for help, but I figured she could use a little more defense."

"I get it," Prosecutor Lin nodded. "I'm happy to help. Plus, Niamh needed a little push to come here. She was originally going to be your opponent in court, but as you can see, that didn't end up happening. She got too anxious to do it. I don't blame her though. I know you can be the same way sometimes."

Now, it was Chrysalis' turn to get all red like I had earlier. She looked at her feet sheepishly. "I seem to have interrupted something when coming over here. Go on and keep on about your business. Act like I'm not here," she said quietly. Prosecutor Lin responded with an upbeat giggle, ruffling her sister's hair gently, which only served to embarrass Chrysalis more.

"I figured out who it was I saw the day of the murder," Cassidy told her. "I think that you should know it so maybe you can go and talk to her. You'll need to try and be as inconspicuous as possible so she doesn't pick up on it though. I don't want you all getting hurt because of me."

"We'll he just fine, Cassidy," I assured her, placing my hand on her shoulder carefully. "Everything will be alright. The killer will be caught and put into prison in less than a day. You'll need to tell us who you think it is first though. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and all that. You hear me?"

Cassidy nodded. "Alright... Just so long as you promise to stay safe, I'll tell you."

I extended my pinky finger out towards her. "Promise," I grinned, hoping my enthusiasm would be able to soothe her worries at least slightly.

Cassidy giggled to herself. "Alright. It's a deal. The person who I saw is looking into this case, though she isn't part of the regular police force. Like the victim, she's a private investigator. She's working with the police to catch the person who killed her coworker, apparently," she began to explain. "As far as her name goes, I heard it was--"

"And who might you all be?"

For the third (and hopefully the last) time in the past few minutes, I turned at the sound of a voice. A woman was walking closer. She had blonde hair that was incredibly thin and wispy. She was curvy, to say the least. She wore a black leather jacket with matching jeans that hugged her legs as tight as possible. She had boots on her feet with heels so long they could probably kill a man. A badge was pinned to her jacket. Underneath said jacket was a dark shirt to go along with her whole edgy color scheme. She had a choker on with spikes poking out from all sides. Her blue eyes had a sharp aura about them, making me shudder slightly. This woman was terrifying, I had to admit. I found myself shrinking away with each step she took closer to our little group. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Niamh slowly take Prosecutor Lin's hand. Chrysalis' shoulders tightened ever so slightly.

"I-I'm the lead attorney on this case," I explained to her, trying to resist the urge to bolt as quickly as I could. "My name is Lily Shield. This is my assistant, Chrysalis. As for the rest of them--"

"I don't care," the woman said harshly, putting up one hand to silence me. "I just want to know why all of you are loitering around the crime scene. We have business to take care of. According to the prosecution, a killer is on the loose around here... Tch. I thought it was their job to show the defendant did it, not some other random figure that the witness just made up on a spur of the moment decision. It makes me question our legal system's stability."

"Who are you?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke cut in, glaring daggers at her. Man, if looks could kill, she'd most certainly be six feet under.

"I'm a homicide detective. The name is Tammy Ghunshotte," the woman answered, staring back at him with an inquisitive gaze. "You look rather familiar. Perhaps we have been on a case before."

"I'm the Chief Prosecutor," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke frowned. "I should hope that you aren't talking badly about the young men who work under me."

"You're not exactly the most qualified for the job yourself, you know. I don't think you have any right to say a thing about me speaking the truth. I've heard you're as lazy as a cat, never getting anything done. Maybe you and all your little underlings should face the law's axe and be cut out of the system," Detective Ghunshotte mused.

"What do you want?" Chrysalis asked, taking a step in front of Chief Prosecutor Bespoke before he could say something he would regret.

"I need you to leave the crime scene. I don't want little flies buzzing around for no reason. Shoo." Detective Ghunshotte gestured with her hands as if she were swatting at a rogue bug. "Go on. Get out."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," I told her with a frown. "We need to look into this case more to figure out who the real killer is. We've gotten the prosecution to agree that it isn't the defendant. If you'll give us just a chance, we can figure out who it is that killed the victim. It won't be long at all. So please, just give us a little bit of time. We'll be out of your hair as soon as possible." I was practically pleading at this point. From what I had heard before from Chrysalis and Mr. Morix, defense attorneys weren't always welcomed at the crime scene. This seemed to be considerable proof of that. Even so, I couldn't put up with it regardless of if it was normal or not. If we were going to free Ms. Mercure, we had to investigate a bit more.

"I can't do that. You'll just mess everything up," Detective Ghunshotte told us, crossing her arms with a huff. "Now leave me alone. I have much more important things to attend to than getting rid of pesky little creatures who won't do what they are told."

"But I'm the chief prosecutor!" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke cried. "I have a lot of legal power, you know! I can make it so we can be here if I want it! Perhaps I should tell the Chief of Police what you're doing, forcing lawyers away from crime scenes they need to look into."

Detective Ghunshotte snorted. "You're the chief prosecutor? Yes, and I'm the Queen of England. No official of the law would look that uncivilized. Maybe get a better disguise before you start flashing titles around, kid," she told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke looked ready to object, but a hand on his shoulder from Cassidy stopped him. She got on her toes and whispered into his ear for a moment. I tilted my head slightly in curiosity, hoping that would cue one of them to explain their sudden chatter to me. It didn't happen. Instead, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke shook his head in resignation. "Let's go back to the Prosecutor's Office," he grumbled, clearly as excited to do so as a child would be to get a shot. "Obviously this woman isn't going to be giving in anytime soon. We might as well just regroup back there."

"Finally, you're listening to me," Detective Ghunshotte said with a passively aggressive smile. She waved towards us dramatically as we started to walk away. "Bye! Glad to see you getting away from my crime scene! Come back when you're ready to start playing with the big kids and do some real investigating!" She was singing the words, which made me even more irritated than I already was, which was quite the feat, let me tell you. Right then,I wanted nothing more than to punch that woman since she was being so rude. Judging by the facial expressions of the others around me, they felt the exact same way.

**May 30**

**Prosecutor's Office**

**2:30 PM**

**Lily Shield**

The lobby of the Prosecutor's Office was mostly empty when we got there. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke was grumbling about how irritated he was to have been forced from the crime scene. Prosecutor Lin seemed just as angry, but she wasn't voicing it like he was. Niamh was messing with her thumbs as she stared absently at the ground. Cassidy looked at us all before sighing. "Well, we can't really go back there now," she said with a frown. "But there is a positive to this."

"Positive? How? We were forced out of the crime scene and can't look into anything! I've been unable to work cases for the past few months since I've been training Niamh. Now that she's a full-on prosecuting prodigy, I was hoping I'd be able to at least get my hands on a little something!" Prosecutor Lin cried. She shook her head. "I guess it'll just have to wait a little longer."

"There's something I want to tell you all," Cassidy told her, crossing her arms. Determination shone in her eyes.

"Wait, you're a prosecutor?" I cut in, realizing what Prosecutor Lin had said about Niamh. "I never would have guessed it."

"Sort of..." Niamh (though I should probably call her Prosecutor Wood from now on) said quietly, twirling one of her braids between her fingers. "I haven't taken on any cases yet..."

"I see," I nodded. "Alright, Cassidy. I'm sorry for interrupting. Go on and continue what you were going to say."

"Okay. Well, I was originally going to meet up with you to tell you about the person I saw the day of the murder since we figured out who it was. Ghastly and his posse showing up put that on pause for a little bit though. Then there was Chrysalis, which I didn't mind, and then Detective Ghunshotte, which I did mind... Point is, it's time for me to tell you who it was I saw the day of the murder. I'm almost positive that we know who it was," Cassidy told us."I won't keep you in the dark anymore since I know this is an important little tidbit."

"Then who is it?" I asked eagerly. This was exactly what we needed! If Cassidy told us who she saw, we'd be able to use that against them in court and prove Ms. Mercure innocent! From here on out, everything would be a peace of cake! I found my heart beating faster in anticipation for the grand reveal. Even if we had been kicked from the crime scene, this information was enough to turn the case on its head, investigation or no!

"The person I saw was Detective Tammy Ghunshotte, the very one who kicked us out of the crime scene a little while ago," Cassidy told us firmly. "I'm sure of it."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for not posting. I've been busy writing other things on impulse. I did a Leanne and Kiran short (which has my heart I wrote it in one sitting regardless of how unhealthy that is) and a Lucia and Elincia drabble about them cuddling after Ludveck leaves them emotionally scarred. You know, fun stuff.
> 
> I'm really sorry it took me this long to post it though. I'll try and be better in the future. 
> 
> Also, I'm considering adding an extra chapter onto the end of this story with character trivia and such. Would you guys be interested in that? It would have little snippets of character backstories, a few other things about them, and, of course, spoilers galore. I don't know if I should do it or not, so I'm going to leave it up to you as of now. 
> 
> Anyways, I'll see you guys next time!
> 
> -Digital


	27. Turnabout on the Waves, Part 7

**May 30**

**Prosecutor's Office**

**3:00 PM**

**Lily Shield**

"Really?" I asked. I admit, I would be lying if I said part of me didn't see this coming. There was something about Detective Ghunshotte that just felt off to me. No regular detective would actually be gutsy enough to kick out the district's chief prosecutor and those with him. Plus, it would explain why she so desperately wanted to get rid of us. If we discovered any new information, we could easily use it against her.

"That makes sense. I mean, nobody normal would want to kick out my beefy boyfriend here. He scares the living crap out of people," Prosecutor Lin remarked, crossing her arms. "You'd have to be either seriously courageous or seriously determined to even attempt that."

"There's not much we can do to prove that now though. I don't even want to imagine how hostile she could get if we tried to go back," Chrysalis frowned. "Plus, Lily, your older brother can call us if he finds anything. He seems pretty nice and helpful."

"You wouldn't happen to be the same Lily related to Prosecutor Roberto Shield, would you?" Prosecutor Lin asked.

I nodded in response. "I am, as a matter of fact," I confirmed.

"I remember him talking about you. He thinks the world of you," Prosecutor Lin smiled. "And that means he'd totally help us out if we needed it! Perfect! I guess everything is going to work out in the end after all!"

"I think it's safe to assume she's the one who owns the garment found at the scene of the murder. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like it would fit her. I just don't see how it could tie into the murder. It seems somewhat random to me," Cassidy frowned. "If we want to find the truth though, we need to figure it out. I just have no idea how we can manage that when we're already going off so little evidence to begin with."

"Wait a moment... I remember the prosecution saying something about the victim," Chrysalis said, playing around with the hem of her jacket sleeve. "They said that the victim had been making unwanted advances on Neptune. If you ask me, that could bring us to two conclusions. First, maybe the same thing happened with Detective Ghunshotte. If the garment does belong to her, then maybe it ended up in the water when the victim tried to make some sort of advance on her. I don't know about this one though. After all, why hide it like this if that was the case? Why frame someone if it was out of self defense? Plus, something about her demeanor seems far too malicious to be just this explanation. I can't quite put a finger on it, but she sort of bothers me in the way that she carries herself. Is anybody else getting those sorts of vibes? I hope it isn't just me who feels that way..."

"No, I feel it too," Prosecutor Lin assured her. "Something about her seems a bit weird... but you said you had two ideas for why the garment was there. That was number one. What's the second one?"

"Maybe the opposite happened. Detective Ghunshotte is most certainly the picture perfect attractive woman for anyone who's into that type. She could have alluded him by the water, which is when the garment was removed, before throwing him in. I just don't really have a motive in this scenario. Does anybody else have ideas?" Chrysalis asked, tapping one foot on the ground mindlessly.

"Both the defendant and victim were looking into Oracle, right?" Prosecutor Wood questioned softly. She looked about ready to up and run. Perhaps she needed a little bit of therapy at some point. "Maybe Detective Ghunshotte was too."

Prosecutor Lin let out a gasp. "That's a great idea!" she chirped. She threw her arms around Prosecutor Wood, picking her up and spinning her around. A few choking sounds managed to escape the teenager's lips.

"If she was looking into Oracle, maybe she was after the bag that the victim stole from Ms. Mercure," I suggested. "I mean, the victim seemed to think there was some important information in there. If she thought the same, she would want to get her hands on that bag as soon as possible. It seems the bag full of seemingly useless junk is going to be able to help us out a bunch after all."

"I wonder how Ms. Mercure figured out so much," Chrysalis murmured. "She seems to know a lot more than she's letting on. I guess that the victim and Detective Ghunshotte can see it too. If she really does know as much as they think, she might know exactly who Oracle is behind he mask."

"Really?!" Prosecutor Lin gasped. "But how is that possible? Unless Ms. Mercure is an associate like Venus was, there's no way she should know who Oracle is. It makes no sense. Oracle is amazing at staying hidden. It seems a bit weird to me that a rookie private investigator would know the truth."

"I don't think we should ask about it. If Oracle really is who Ms. Mercure suspects, then they could wind up in a lot of trouble if Detective Ghunshotte figures out. If we want to question them, we'll have to stay quiet for the time being," I said. "That being said, I think that about covers what we wanted to talk about regarding the case. I had been hoping to do a little more investigating, but since we were cut off, it doesn't seem like that's going to be happening."

"Maybe we can use our time for something else useful," Prosecutor Lin suggested. "Oracle seems to be important to this case, right? We could always do a little digging to learn more about them. Even if we don't use that knowledge here, it might be useful to have sometime in the future, you know?"

"That sounds like a good idea to me," I grinned. "We can't do anything at the crime scene without Detective Ghunshotte finding out, but we can look around through old files to learn more about Oracle! I'm eager to do this. I haven't done anything of this sort before. It'll be interesting to see what it's like to dig a little bit and learn things for yourself. Of course, I'm sure it'll be more fun than a research paper at school. After all, we're entering this willingly."

"I really wish we could just go back and look into the case at the murder scene. If we didn't suspect Detective Ghunshotte of being a killer, I'd be tempted to return for more investigation. Of course, we have no idea what could happen if we make her angry. Killers definitely don't have the best tempers, seeing as they resorted to murder, which means it might be best to just stay away from her until the trial when she's unable to escape the sins of the past," Chrysalis said. "I suppose that looking into Oracle a little bit wouldn't hurt though. Seeing as how they're involved in this case's motive, it might be a good idea to learn all that we can, but we must be sure not to get too close. Learning too much could result in death, in case the death of Jackson Blocker wasn't already strong proof of that."

"It'll be fine. We'll be careful," I assured her. "Where should we start this off? Any ideas?"

"I know where we can go to look into this stuff. The evidence room in the local police station is filled with all sorts of files. Since a certain someone here is the chief prosecutor, we can get in there easily. It won't be a problem," Prosecutor Lin grinned. I saw her shoot a wink at Chief Prosecutor Bespoke.

"I was planning on taking a nap though... I've been doing paperwork all day. I need a break," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke complained with a sigh. "Why don't you guys go ahead without me? I can catch up with you later on."

"Come on, Ghastly. I can't just let you laze around all day. Life is more than just constant napping. Plus, you can hold off your sleeping for a little while to spend time with your lovely girlfriend and sweet daughter, right?" Prosecutor Lin asked. She nudged his arm with her elbow, giggling like a kid in a candy store.

"Fine," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke groaned after hesitating for a moment. "Just don't wake me up ridiculously early tomorrow, and we'll have a deal here. How does that sound, Sora?"

"Sounds good to me. Now, let's get to it!" Prosecutor Lin chirped. She took Chief Prosecutor Bespoke's wrist in one hand and Prosecutor Wood's in the other before dashing out the door. Cassidy followed after her, so just Chrysalis and I were left standing in the lobby of the Prosecutor's Office.

"She sure is a peculiar creature," I told her with a small yet awkward smile. I didn't even have to specify who I meant for her to know I meant Prosecutor Lin.

"Sora's always been like that. Even when we first met, I knew a few things about her instantly. First, she's eternally optimistic and motherly. Second, she can get a bit hyperactive at times despite being in her twenties. You'd never believe I'm the baby of the family," Chrysalis said with a sigh. Despite her exasperated expression, I could sense something akin to pride in her sister. "Let's go make sure they don't get into trouble."

I smiled and nodded. We both walked out of the office lobby to go and figure out where the prosecutor trio (and Cassidy) had gone off to.

**May 30**

**Police Station Evidence Room**

**3:30 PM**

**Sora Lin**

Ghastly managed to get us past the Chief of Police, a young man named Hunter Bright, rather easily. I hadn't ever met him myself, but he seemed to be an awkward kid with good intentions. Well, I call him a kid, but he definitely seemed a few years older than me, maybe even Cotoli. We got into the evidence room not long after arriving. I hadn't been in there in a while. It still smelled like dust and paper as it always did. The last time I had been in here was before we adopted Niamh and before I started training her to be a prosecutor. Even so, it was exactly as I remembered it. The files were stacked from the floor to the ceiling, making the room feel cramped, like you were boxed in or something. It was enough to give anyone slight claustrophobia, but I pushed that aside. We were on a mission, so we couldn't get distracted until after we were finished doing our job.

"Where should we start off?" Ms. Shield asked, glancing around the room. Judging by her wide eyes and shocked expression, she seemed to be a bit overwhelmed. I couldn't blame her. I had been the exact same way the first time I saw the evidence room. It was a huge place (though it certainly didn't feel that way with all the files making the place like a maze), so it was easy to find yourself in awe of the files and other evidence stored within the four walls.

"I don't really know. Do you have any ideas, Ghast?" I asked Ghastly.

He yawned and stretched one arm up. He was likely tired since I'd forced him to skip his afternoon nap. In all fairness, could you blame me? Ghastly needed to get out more often anyways. Plus, you need to take any chance you can get to have family bonding time. I just had to drag him out of his office for a little bit of hands-on stuff. "Maybe we could look at GC-9," he suggested.

"I suppose that sounds alright," I said with a nod. "I can't really think of any other ideas of where to start this all off. From what Occisor said a while back, that case started everything for Oracle. The beginning is the best place to start, so let's find that file."

I turned around and began shifting through the files in the cabinet behind me. It only took me a few seconds to find GC-9, which was a miracle considering how messy the evidence room could get when it wasn't cleaned for a while (and judging by the number of papers scattered on the ground, it had definitely been quite some time since the last appointment to tidy up). I held the file above my head with a triumphant smile to signify my victory. I walked over to a nearby table, cleared a few pieces of evidence off its surface, and set down the folder. I flicked it open and pulled out the first page.

"This page seems to be about the basic case details," I remarked after scanning over it. "It says who the victim of murder was, who the assault victims were, you get the gist. Who wants to read over this part?"

"I can," Ms. Shield volunteered. I handed her the paper and turned around, leaning my hips up against the table with my hands up against its edge to keep from falling over. I closed my eyes as she looked over it for herself for the next few moments.

"This case isn't exactly a pleasant one for most of us," Cassidy said, looking down at her toes. "I think we should finish up with reading the case file as quickly as we can so we can move on. GC-9 was definitely one of the worst cases I've ever tackled. Between the escaped culprits and Ghastly being in prison, it was far from being enjoyable... Plus, there was that whole incident with Yuri, which only magnified the severity of the whole situation..."

Ms. Shield gasped, seeming to have reached that section of the file. "It sounds like this case was a nightmare on countless levels," she whispered, shaking her head. "The murder took place at the Sparx Factory, which I already heard about. I also knew about the victim being Mr. Morix's mother, but it sounds like a lot of other stuff went down during this case too. The cause of death was a crushed windpipe due to strangulation by rope... The victim was dangled from the ceiling afterwards by said rope, making it seem like a suicide to the common eye... That alone doesn't sound very fun to deal with in court."

"It wasn't. We already knew it was a murder due to the rope indicating such, but it was still rough," Chrysalis frowned. "Perhaps we should move on. I-I just think there are more important factors to this case we need to discuss. We can't focus all our time on this topic alone. This case is a large one, so we can't stay on any one subject for too long." Despite what she was saying, I knew the real reason she wanted to move on. Before Ms. Morix had died, Chrysalis had been very close with her since she went with Cotoli to her house often. She hated thinking about Ms. Morix's death. Strangulation was a touchy subject for her and Cotoli because of this murder too.

"Alright... Hey, you're on this list of assault victims, Chrysalis," Ms. Shield remarked. "Yuri is here too."

"And I'm there, right?" I asked, knowing she was about to say something about my presence on the list. One thing about GC-9 was that there were a lot of assault victims, and coincidentally, all of us knew each other too.

"Yeah, you are," Ms. Shield nodded. "Wow, from what I can tell here, this was definitely set into motion by a group of people. Five assault victims? That's wild. I doubt any single person could pull that off, especially considering the small interval between the attacks. I don't know how many people would be needed to do this, but there had to be more than one."

"I agree," Chrysalis nodded. "From what I could tell, Pieter seemed to know Occisor well. He only ever mentioned them briefly, never saying their group's name, but I'm sure of it. Back when the case was going on, he said that he had an inkling as to who the killers were, though he also said he didn't know their names. They seemed to have some sort of history. I didn't know a thing about them myself until they stepped forward during Yuri's trial. I think there were around four at the scene. I can't say for sure. When I was attacked, one of them forced a pill down my throat that made me fall unconscious not long after. I was stumbling around like mad due to its side effects, so I couldn't clearly see much of anyone, though I do recall seeing around four distinct figures."

"That sounds about right to me too," I agreed. "I got hit in the head, but I thought I saw about four people before I passed out. Yuri would probably say something similar, though I doubt you'd get much more out of her. As I'm here you can see from the file, she was cut in the eye. She barely survived the attack. I don't think she'd be able to fill us in on the gaps in our memories since her wound was much more severe."

"There are five victims listed here though... Do you think the other two could help us out at all?" Ms. Shield asked. "Any help at all would be great. The more we know about Occisor, the better. Even if we came here to learn about Oracle, learning about Occisor wouldn't hurt. I mean, they seem to be pretty closely tied with Oracle from what I can tell. If we can hear about them, maybe they can lead us to Oracle. And Oracle can help us out in figuring out all sorts of things. It sounds good to me."

"You don't want to know about Occisor," Chrysalis cut in. "I don't know much about what happened to Pieter before he ended up as part of the family. Before he was adopted by Cotoli's mother, he apparently went through some unspecified tragedy. From what I can tell, it had something to do with Occisor. We could end up in trouble like he did before he was taken in. I don't want anyone around here to get hurt because of some ridiculous spy who doesn't know when to back off. After having gotten two people killed, you'd expect Oracle to understand not to mess around anymore, and yet, they're still pressing on with all of this garbage..."

"You really hate Oracle, don't you?" I asked. I already knew the answer perfectly well, so I really didn't need to ask, but I did anyways.

"Oracle causes nothing but trouble for anyone. I don't understand how anybody can actually like Oracle these days," sighed Chrysalis. "But that doesn't matter right now. Let's focus back on our investigation of GC-9. Is there anything else that we should look over before moving onto the next case Oracle was involved in?"

"It says here that you were the defendant on this case, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke," Ms. Shield said in shock. "What had you as a suspect in a case like that?"

"It was chance that I was arrested," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke frowned. "You see, I was caught on video carrying who everyone thought was the victim. It was not. The police department looked a little bit foolish after that move, but all's well that ends well, I suppose. No reason to dwell on it now after two years have passed since then."

"I think that's about it for this case. Anything else we should dig into?" Chrysalis asked, crossing her arms. She seemed just as eager to finish up with this conversation as I was. I knew it made her uncomfortable to think about since that case was something of an emotional rollercoaster for her and our brother. Well, the older one at least. I wasn't sure about Pieter. He'd always been a bit difficult to read in my eyes. I had never been able to tell what he was thinking while he was still around.

"I have a few more questions about GC-9, if you don't mind my asking," Ms. Shield said. "Maybe I'll have some good luck since we have a few other people here that were involved with the case. Occisor said that Oracle started the whole spy deal because of this case. It means they had something to do with it. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, Prosecutor Lin, and Cassidy all had something to do with the case. The photo taken during the murder investigation says that loud and clear."

"Photo?" I echoed. I thought I knew which picture she was talking about since there was really only one possibility, but I didn't have a clue how she knew about it. Had anyone ever shown her that image? Last time I checked, it wasn't in plain sight at the agency. I mean, maybe Chrysalis or Cotoli had set it up in their room, but I highly doubted that Ms. Shield had been in there since barely anyone got clearance to head in there to begin with.

"She means the picture that we took during the murder," Chrysalis explained. She dug through her belongings for a moment before producing the photo. She handed it over to me, confirming my suspicions about it. Sure enough, this was the exact picture I had been thinking of. I still remember when it was taken. We had been celebrating a new beginning now that Pieter was with us. Ghastly had just been freed from the detention center after having been suspected as the killer who murdered Ms. Morix. It had been a bittersweet time for us all. On one hand, Ghastly was free and Pieter was now a member of the family. On the other hand, Ms. Morix, the primary motherly figure to Cotoli and Chrysalis, was dead. Her killers had gotten away on top of that. Plus, Yuri was recovering from a horrible wound. It was an emotional case for all of us, if you want to sum it up in a word.

"I see. Well, I'm afraid I can't tell you much of anything about Oracle. I know that my sister had to do with Oracle before she died, but I don't know much besides that. I've been informed of the basic details, but anything deeper than that has definitely escaped me," Cassidy told Ms. Shield. "I apologize if that's an inconvenience for you. I would help you out more if I could."

"I don't know much either," I frowned. "I mean, what I have heard is pretty basic. Oracle was revealed last year. Their associate was killed when he refused to reveal Oracle's true name. Occisor wants them dead now. I've been talking a lot with my brother on the matter, but I can't really say that either of us has much of anything conclusive that could lead to a serious deduction. If that's what you're looking for, I can't really help you."

"That's not exactly what I was thinking about. You see, I think it goes like this: I'm pretty sure Oracle started the spy thing because of the death of Ms. Morix. I want to know if there's any worker from the factory or anyone otherwise involved with the case who could be Oracle. I heard that she was liked by most people at the factory, so this probably won't lead us anywhere, but it's worth a shot in my eyes," Ms. Shield explained. "Any ideas at all would be much appreciated. I'd love to learn even more about Oracle. They really catch my interest."

"Oracle is really dangerous," Ghastly frowned from beside me. His eyes narrowed. "You don't want to grit caught up with them. People who get tied up in the Oracle business can end up hurt or worse. I don't want a fate like that to befall one of Cotoli's new employees. Plus, I'm nearly positive your brother would kill me if you were to get hurt. He's the protective sort, just like Cotoli. As sweet as it is, it can be terrifying at times, especially with Shield..."

"Speaking of him, I have a question now. This one's for you, Ghast," I cut in. "Why in the world would you put him with Prosecutor Cruz on a case together? They're the two angriest people I know. Them working together could be awful. Do you want the world to catch fire or something? It's like you've got a death wish."

Ghastly sighed. "Sora, this really isn't important. I just put them together since I was hoping they'd both calm down afterwards. Of course, I heard about their outburst during the trial. Maybe that wasn't a good idea after all," he murmured with a shake of his head.

"It's fine. I'm sure it'll all work out in the end. Robbie can calm down. I can get him to relax. If it happens again tomorrow, I'll be sure to work on his temper," Ms. Shield grinned. "I know him well enough to have memorized his sole weakness: me!"

"You sound pretty confident. I'm thankful for it. He and Prosecutor Cruz can be terrifying at times when they want to be. Most killers crumble under the pressure of interrogation when one of them is at the helm," I said. "Putting them together was like playing with fire. I'm just glad we haven't had any major explosions. I suppose even their fight in court can be considered a success since they haven't thrown punches yet."

"I just hope we can find someone to keep Prosecutor Cruz under control soon. Maybe he's got a little sister with a heart of gold we can rely on. Well, either that, or we could bring in his father," Ghastly yawned. Of course. He was still longing for his afternoon nap.

"We can figure that out later. The point is, we've looked into GC-9 for now. I don't think we got much of any big information out of it though... The incident from two years ago doesn't seem to tell us plainly who Oracle is. I suppose that makes sense, given how the identity of the spy is a secret. It wouldn't really be a secret if it was so easy to find out," I said. "I don't think we can say much else about Oracle now. However, I guess it filled Ms. Shield in on the details of the murder."

"Yeah. I was pretty clueless on it before... I'm glad we came here," smiled Ms. Shield. "I guess this is going to bring our investigation to a close though. I don't think there's much of anything else we can investigate here. I mean, I already know the details of the case a year ago. Mr. Morix explained that to me already. As for the other cases that have taken place recently, I know a bunch about them, even the part about a disguise Oracle has."

"What?" I asked. "You know one of Oracle's aliases? But how is that possible? They're kept under lock and key, only known to Oracle's closest helpers." A small grin appeared on my lips. "Maybe you're one of Oracle's assistants. I mean, I don't know how anyone would be able to figure it out otherwise. It doesn't make sense... Do you have something to tell us, Ms. Shield?" When I noticed the shocked and confused expression on her face, I let out a laugh. "I'm just kidding. I know you're not involved with Oracle. You'd be more nervous if that was the case."

"I have nothing to do with Oracle. Promise. I just happened to deduce a few things with my brother. We think that a witness from one of our past cases is Oracle. I might be able to tell you more about it, but we can't do it now. It could be risky and stuff. Plus, we need to go and get ready for the trial tomorrow," Ms. Shield said.

We all agreed to go our separate ways for the day. Ghastly was inevitably going to start complaining about not having slept if we didn't get a move on anyways. Plus, I could sense the anxiety coming from Niamh. She wasn't the best with tons of people. It was the best for everyone.

Even so, I couldn't help but wonder about if she really did know about an alias of Oracle. If that was the case, then I was definitely curious. We'd be one step closer to Oracle with that information to help us out.

I just hoped the whole Oracle situation wouldn't end in disaster.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're slowly getting caught up to where I am now. 
> 
> And by slowly getting caught up, I mean we're still twenty chapters behind. Oops. 
> 
> -Digital


	28. Turnabout on the Waves, Part 8

**May 31**

**Defendant Lobby No. 4**

**9:45 AM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

I sat down on the couch in the defendant lobby, crossing my ankles as I stared at the ground. I hadn't seen Lily yet, so she probably hadn't arrived. I was still thinking about everything we had learned involving Oracle. I couldn't quite shake the feeling that Neptune knew who Oracle was. Either that, or Cassidy knew more than she was letting on. It didn't matter which of the two was true. Maybe both were. I needed to get at least some information out of them. If they knew who Oracle was, that meant that I was close. If I wanted to find Oracle to ask them about Venus' death, they were the people to start with. I didn't have much evidence, but it was still something.

Neptune seemed to be a big fan of the picture we had found, more so than she should have been. She must have had her suspicions about it being involved with Oracle. If that was the case though, then she definitely knew a lot more than she was saying. The picture was harmless to me. It had just been a sign of the future to come after a nightmare of a murder had finished up. It was simply a photo, but since she had been carrying it with her evidence regarding Oracle, then she had suspicions that one of us was involved... No, she knew one of us was the one. I mean, she was as sure as the rest of the world that Venus had something to do with Oracle. It had been revealed clear as day during the trial over her murder.

I didn't get it. If Neptune thought one of us was Oracle, why not just come out and say it already? It doesn't make sense. She could get everything she ever could have wanted as far as information was concerned if she spoke up to ask about it. If she said that one of us was Oracle, then she'd be able to talk to them about anything and learn whatever she wanted. And yet, she was staying silent for some reason or another. It was enough to raise a few eyebrows. I didn't know what in the world was going on, but I was determined to find out. When she showed up, I'd ask her about it. I'd press her as much as I needed to. If she really knew who Oracle was, I was going to hear it from her today. There was going to be no more investigating for me. I'd be able to confront them on my own to learn the full truth about Venus' place in their schemes. I'd hear for myself why my best friend of all people got tangled up with a spy.

"Hey."

I jumped upon hearing the voice in front of me. I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't even realized Neptune had approached. She smiled at me gently and waved. "You feeling okay? You don't look too good," she frowned, sitting down next to me. "Are you sick or something? Do you need to lay down? Should you really be going into court for today's session of the trial?"

"I'm fine," I assured her with a sigh. "I just have a few questions for you, if you don't mind my asking... I want to know everything you know about Oracle. Do you know who they are? Be completely honest with me. I need anything that you can tell me. I'm begging you at this point."

"You really seem to think I know something... I don't. Really. I'm just a simple private investigator trying to figure out who Oracle is," Neptune shrugged. "If I do find out, I don't know if I can tell you though... I don't want anybody finding out. They could get hurt. I'm trying to do them a service as their faraway protector. They don't know it, but I'll be there."

"What? Why?" I asked, my eyes going wide. "Why would you do that? Wouldn't you want to take advantage of information like that to talk to them? You could get basically whatever you wanted. You could put someone in prison, get them freed, keep yourself from getting locked up..."

"Oracle has done enough for me already. I don't want to be a burden on them. It's a long story. To say the least, I want to protect them. I get the feeling that you have other motives for wanting to know who they are though..." Neptune's eyes seemed to be begging me to go on. While I was a bit uncertain of it at first, I figured there was no harm in it. It would all be fine, right?

"I want to find Oracle so I can ask about Venus," I murmured. "She was my best friend before she was killed for her involvement in the Oracle case. I don't think anybody else can quite give me the answers I seek. Only they can explain it all to me."

"Why not just channel her or something? I mean, I saw you with a Magatama yesterday. Isn't that a sign of a medium?" Neptune asked, looking down at my necklace.

"I can't do that," I frowned. "I've tried countless times to contact her. I've asked my older sister, another medium, to channel her, but it won't work. For some reason, we can't contact her spirit. Oracle is the only option for me now."

"I see... Well, I don't think that you'll need to look very far to find Oracle," Neptune told me, her lips going into a thin and serious line. "They're a lot closer than you realize, if my suspicions are to be believed. If you just look closely, then you'll find the truth."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked. "Why are you talking in riddles?"

"I'm just speaking the truth. Oracle is hiding right in front of your nose. You just need to admit it to yourself to learn who it is," Neptune said. "And remember, I'll always be here if you want to talk about it."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked defensively. "You definitely know more than you're telling me. You know who Oracle is. Come one, why not just tell me and end this silly little game that you're playing? Make it easier on all of us."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that. You know deep down who Oracle is. Your denial isn't helping you at all, Chrysalis. Admit to yourself that Oracle is part of your life. You're the only one here making things harder for yourself," Neptune told me, crossing her arms. "I'm just trying to help you out here."

I let out a sigh and looked down. If Oracle was really as close as Neptune was making them seem, then who could it be? My thoughts went back to the photo. Was Oracle in that photo? That didn't leave many options for who it could be. Neptune wouldn't have it in a stack of evidence about who Oracle was unless it was important. If they were there, then that meant that I really did know who Oracle was.

I began to think through the possibilities. There was me, but it obviously wasn't me. I think I'd know it if I was. Cotoli couldn't be Oracle. He was there when Estelle Burns was exposed a year ago. The same applied to Ghastly, Cassidy, and Venus. Venus couldn't be Oracle even if she wasn't there. She's gone now, and according to Lily, Oracle is as active as ever. Shayla Willows was evidence of that. That left Polly, Sora, and Pieter. Polly had been at the trial regarding Venus' death since Anton was on trial then. That kept her from being Shayla, which completely eliminated her as a suspect.

Only Pieter and Sora were left. Pieter had been gone all this time, so I didn't think it was him. Plus, his physique didn't match Estelle or Shayla's one bit. From what I've heard of them, they were petite young girls. Pieter was around six feet tall. Plus, his voice was way too low to ever pass for female.

That left only Sora. I stared down at the ground, a frown on my feet. Was it really Sora? How could that be? I mean, you'd expect me to know about it. She's my sister, for crying out loud! She would tell me if she was hiding some sort of secretive spy work. Venus wouldn't keep it from me either. We were far too close for her to keep something so big from me. It didn't make any sense. All of a sudden, now that I was pushing myself to come up with some excuse for why it couldn't be Sora, I couldn't come up with anything. I couldn't remember if she had been wearing gloves the day before. I couldn't think of anything that would prove loud and clear that she wasn't Oracle. The possibility was certainly there.

I would definitely have to ask her about it later on. She would have to tell me if I confronted her, right? At the very least, that's what I was hoping. She couldn't just hide this forever and not expect me to call her out on it. She would have to tell me sooner or later...

Neptune shot me a small smile. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here. I'm an ally of Oracle... I'm your ally." She looked up and pointed to the door. "There's Ms. Shield. We can talk about this more later." She pressed a small piece of paper into my hands. "Here's my phone number and address if you ever want to talk."

I opened my mouth to ask her something, anything, about Sora. Why was she holding out on me like this? I just wanted to know the truth. Lily appeared with a small wave, making me snap out of thought. "Hey," she grinned. "Are you ready for the trial? It's time to show that Ms. Mercure is innocent. I'm positive that we can bring this to an end with Cassidy's testimony and our other evidence, even if there isn't very much of it."

"Yeah," I said softly. I was hoping that she couldn't see how distant I was over the conversation Neptune and I had just shared, but she clearly wasn't buying it. Her fingers slid over her Magatama as she looked at me. From what I could tell, she was ready to press the truth out of me. I mean, what else are you supposed to do when you see Psyche-Locks like that? You need to break them if you want to hear about what's going on. I've done it many times myself.

"It's time for the trial to start," came a voice from behind me. I turned to see KJ there. He stared at Neptune for a moment. I already knew what he was thinking. He was noticing how similar Neptune looked to Venus. I had noticed the same thing when I first saw her.

"Thank you," Neptune smiled at KJ. He blushed and scurried away, leaving Neptune giggling under her breath. "Alright. Let's go in there and show what we're made of! Well... What you guys are made of. I can't exactly do much to defend myself as the suspect and all. Plus, it's not like I'd exactly be qualified to even if I wasn't the defendant."

"Alright," Lily nodded. She gestured for me to follow her as she went for the courtroom doors. I took a brief glance down at the note from Neptune before going after her. I was definitely going to have to consider going to see her soon. I was drawn to her in a strange way, even if I couldn't really put my finger on it. Plus, if I was right about Sora being Oracle and Neptune already knew, I'd want to talk about it with someone.

**May 31**

**Courtroom No. 4**

**10:00 AM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

For some reason, the whole conversation I'd had with Neptune before coming into the courtroom made the atmosphere seem ten times as tense. She hadn't even asked me if she thought I could prove her innocence. She had full confidence in me, which I was happy to hear about, don't get me wrong, but it was also a little unsettling. I barely knew her. Our brief chats about Oracle didn't exactly mean that we had nothing but complete faith in one another. That would definitely be pushing it. I didn't get how she could be like this. I was probably more nervous than she was, which had to be saying a lot considering that she was a suspect for murder.

Judge Frost's voice shocked me out of my daze. "Court is now in session for the trial of Neptune Mercure," she declared. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"

"The prosecution is ready," Prosecutor Shield said. He seemed to be less irritated with Prosecutor Cruz than the day before. I was relieved for that. I didn't want to have to go through a trial worried about the potential for a fight between them. That would just make this already complicated case even more messy.

"The defense is also ready," Lily declared from beside me. "If you don't mind, Your Honor, I'd like to get right to this case. I have a witness that I'd like to call. Well, to be more accurate, I would like to reference the words of yesterday's witness, Cassidy Rinko. She has determined who the figure she saw was. I would be glad to tell you all who she told me it was. We'll have to call them as a witness."

"Go right ahead," Judge Frost nodded solemnly. If it was at all possible, she seemed to be more icy than usual. Or would that be frosty because of her surname? I don't know. The only thing I was sure of was that I was ready for this trial to be over. It wasn't often that I had a bad feeling like this, so when I did, I tried to listen to it. I had been feeling perfectly fine right up until my chat with Neptune. Did she always frighten people like this?

Lily cleared her throat and pulled out a piece of paper, skimming it as she spoke. "Ms. Rinko told yours truly and a few others that the person she saw was a detective on the case by the name of Detective Ghunshotte. A little more research shows that her full name is Tammy Ghunshotte. Since she was spotted by the witness at the scene of the crime, we can definitely call her at least a little bit suspicious. We should question her. If there are allegations that she was running from the scene of the murder, she could easily be the killer. As is customary in court, she needs to defend herself before she can face punishment, assuming she did it," she declared. "What do you think of that, Judge Frost?"

"That sounds fine," Judge Frost said simply. "Are there any objections, Prosecutor Shield? Prosecutor Cruz?"

Prosecutor Cruz played with his sunglasses quietly as Prosecutor Shield spoke. "The prosecution has no objections," he told her. "We have already prepared Detective Ghunshotte to testify in preparation of this turn of events. We suspected that she would be called to tell the court what she was doing the day of the murder due to her being spotted at the scene of the murder."

"Then call her up," Judge Frost instructed. "We should finish up this trial as quickly as we can." Even if she wasn't saying it, I got the feeling that there was something bothering her. I'm no professional when it comes to reading people, but I was still able to catch on to the small changes of her attitude compared to the day before. Maybe she had a gut instinct something bad was going to happen. I guess we'd just have to see how the cards played out over the course of the next few hours.

While I was lost in thought over Judge Frost's odd behavior, Detective Ghunshotte approached the stand. Somehow, she seemed even more terrifying than she had been the day before, which is incredible, let me tell you. I didn't even think that was possible. I felt a shiver run up and down my spine at lightning speed. She had only been here for a few moments, but I still wanted her to leave.

"Please state your name and occupation for the court," Judge Frost demanded. I could see her glaring at Detective Ghunshotte. Maybe she was starting to suspect that the detective was the killer as well...

"Tammy Ghunshotte. I work as a homicide detective at the local precinct," Detective Ghunshotte explained. I noticed her playing around with her choker a little bit. "I don't understand why I'm here. Even if that girl thinks that I was there at the scene of the crime the day of the murder, where's the proof? We can't simply accuse someone of murder over the words of one person. That would be ridiculous. Unless you can come up with some evidence that I was there the day that the victim died, I'm going to have to leave. I don't waste my time places where people are accusing me of crimes."

"I'm afraid you don't have that option. We need to look through all the possibilities regarding whoever committed this murder. If that means questioning you, you'll have to stick through it," Lily cut in with an intense frown. I had no idea how she was keeping up a tough front. I couldn't even try to pretend I wasn't afraid of her. She was downright terrifying. I got the feeling that she was trying to be more alluring than scary based on her attire, but I wasn't going along with that for even a moment.

"Fine," groaned Detective Ghunshotte. "If you really want to know what I was doing that day, I'll gladly tell you. How does that sound?"

"Great," Lily smiled. I could have sworn I saw her shaking slightly. I knew that she wasn't perfectly fearless. She just seemed like the type to be intimidated by Detective Ghunshotte.

"Go right ahead," Judge Frost nodded.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ Why I Was There ~**

_\- "I wasn't at the crime scene to kill anyone. Of course I wouldn't be there to kill anyone."_

_\- "I wanted to talk to the victim like a normal person. He knew a lot about the Oracle of the Law. I was curious."_

_\- "You can't prove I was there with murderous intent either. What motive would I have?"_

_\- "Someone seeing me there simply isn't conclusive enough. You'll need more than that to pin me as the murderer."_

_\- "Unless you have something like that, I'd like to finish up here so I can return to the station so I can take care of my work."_

"That testimony was so unhelpful that it hurt me," I muttered under my breath with a shake of my head. "She can't just be up front with us. Of course not. That would make things too easy."

"I guess all we can do now is examine her testimony and hope that some cracks show themselves... I didn't see anything right off the bat. We have the garment to work with, but I don't know how we can show that it could belong to her. I mean, there was nothing lifted from it to point to any specific person. No DNA could be lifted from it. Any that might have been there would have definitely disappeared in the water. It really is unfortunate," Lily whispered.

"Maybe raising the possibility that the garment could belong to her will be enough. Of course, I don't have anything to show this would actually work, but it might be worth a shot," I suggested. "The least we can do is try. If it fails, we can bluff our way through it and come up with another solution."

"Alright," Lily nodded. "The defense is ready to begin the cross-examination."

"Go on," Judge Frost said.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ Why I Was There ~**

_\- "I wasn't at the crime scene to kill anyone. Of course I wouldn't be there to kill anyone."_

_\- "I wanted to talk to the victim like a normal person. He knew a lot about the Oracle of the Law. I was curious."_

_\- "You can't prove I was there with murderous intent either. What motive would I have?"_

_\- "Someone seeing me there simply isn't conclusive enough. You'll need more than that to pin me as the murderer."_

_\- "Unless you have something like that, I'd like to finish up here so I can return to the station so I can take care of my work."_

"Objection!"

"I think I might have something that could show you were there the day of the crime," Lily said. She was using my strategy since she couldn't come up with anything else. I noticed a little bit of sweat was visible on her forehead. Looking back on it, we really got screwed over when we were kicked from the crime scene. Without the ability to look around, we couldn't find any conclusive evidence that Detective Ghunshotte was involved. All we really had was the garment, but that wouldn't be able to help us much without any DNA. It was enough to make anyone a little bit nervous.

"Go on then," Detective Ghunshotte smirked. She was fingering her hair now. To me, she seemed to be looking anywhere but at Lily and me. Maybe this was a sign she was growing nervous... No, that couldn't be it. Her aura of confidence said that she had something up her sleeve. Were we walking into some sort of trap? I guess we'd figure it out when we got there...

"A garment was found at the scene of the crime. A little bit of easy deduction work told us that it could not possibly belong to the defendant. It wouldn't make sense. It doesn't fit her at all. To me, that seems like a blatant sign that the garment must belong to someone else who was there the day of the murder," Lily told her. "If it couldn't be the defendant, then the only person I could come up with is you. Does it perhaps belong to you?"

"I'm afraid that you don't have any evidence that it is mine. It isn't, by the way. It could easily be unrelated to the case. For crying out loud, the body was found in a lake. Anything like that could have easily drifted over. It could float, so the waves could have thrown it around until it found its home next to the body," Detective Ghunshotte told her. She fanned at her face with one hand lazily. "So, unless you have something conclusive to show that it belongs to me, I will claim no ownership of it. You were simply trying to lure me into a trap of sorts where I'd admit I owned it. Well, it didn't work. Too bad. Are you done now? I have other things to attend to. If you don't mind, I should be on my way. I have paperwork due at the end of the day."

"Objection!"

I glanced to Lily to see if she had been the one to cry out the objection. She seemed just as confused as I was. I looked to my other side where Neptune was sitting. She had gotten to her feet with a small smirk. "I think I know how we can prove that you're the one who did it," she told Detective Ghunshotte.

"What are you doing out of your seat? You're supposed to be sitting there and listening like a good little girl," Detective Ghunshotte told her, fiercely glaring in Neptune's direction. "She should get in trouble. Wouldn't you agree, Your Honor?"

"I'm afraid that I find you just as suspicious as everyone else here. Let her speak," Judge Frost said. I was surprised by this. Most judges would send the defendant back to their seat without a second thought. She was nice to go along with this.

"I think that the evidence that proves the guilt of this witness is hiding right before our very eyes," Neptune declared. "It's a matter of a peculiar piece of evidence everyone thought to be unimportant. I will not give it away now since I doubt anyone will believe me if I do, so... I'll allow you to figure it out on your own. However, before the epiphany comes, perhaps we should have her testify once more."

"What makes you say that?" Prosecutor Cruz asked, a frown deep in his features.

"Think about it. If the witness from yesterday crossed paths with the victim a few times, such as when the defendant was talking with the victim, you'd expect her to see this current witness a few times. I don't know about you, but I personally find it a little bit suspicious that Detective Ghunshotte only encountered the victim when he was dying or already dead. I believe that something about this whole situation is off," Lily explained. "The defense agrees that the witness should testify once more about when she saw the victim."

"If the victim was at the lake with many other people, it would be nearly impossible to find him. There were a lot of people there to watch the boat race. The defendant finding him at all was an incredible stroke of luck. I also find it odd that this witness claims to have only seen the victim when he was alone, which was around the time of his death. Something about the whole situation is strange," I agreed. "If the prosecution will permit it, the defense would like the witness to testify again. If she cannot supply us a quality explanation for when she saw the victim, we're going to have to consider her a suspect in this murder, even more than we already did."

"You are just out for me, aren't you?" asked Detective Ghunshotte. She had taken on a shy and sweet aura, trying to feign innocence the best she could. I rolled my eyes at her acting job. Even I could tell that she was getting desperate. If she had to talk about when she saw the victim, it would certainly lead to her downfall.

Of course, the possibility that she would just lie about it was also there. With such little evidence, it would be difficult to refute her claims. If Neptune was right about there being something critical within the evidence we already have, we'd have to find it as soon as possible if we wanted to catch her. I just wished I knew where to look. The garment didn't have much of anything. That left only Neptune's bag and the photo, both of which seemed incredibly irrelevant to the crime... How were we supposed to get out of this one?

"The defense is harassing you, are they?" Prosecutor Shield asked, crossing his arms. When Detective Ghunshotte went to confirm this, he slammed one fist onto the bench before him. "Too bad. I think they have a right to be suspicious if you're a suspect for murder. You can't simply worm your way out of this one. We've all heard about your unique charms being able to help you get away with anything. Not right now. I need you to tell the court all about when you met with the victim, alright?"

"Fine," Detective Ghunshotte huffed. "Just remember that I won't forget this. I won't let this fade from my mind. Since you've decided to cross me, I'm just going to have to show you what I'm really made of, you buffoon. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this, but things don't always go as planned, so I'm afraid I don't have much of a choice."

Detective Ghunshotte raised her hands up to her eyes before scratching downwards. The makeup surrounding her eyes was dragged down her cheeks, making a spiked pattern form on her face. Her glare grew more intense than before as she stared me and Lily down. I knew it was just my imagination, but I could have sworn her hair had begun to sway around in some nonexistent breeze. I also thought that the spikes on her choker were growing sharper, but that couldn't simply happen. I found myself shuddering against my will. Somehow, she was even more scary now. Great, because that's exactly what we needed with an already terrifying seductress of a witness. Is the universe trying to make our job harder?

"You decided to play with me, so I'll just have to play with you. I won't let you get away with accusing me of murder. I would never kill anyone," Detective Ghunshotte declared. "I'm far too pretty to result to murder! You know that someone this cute couldn't ever do that! I'm just not capable of it!"

"Witness, you must refrain from making such statements until after your testimony has been examined by the defense," Judge Frost cut in. "If you are done shouting and changing suddenly, we have a trial to get on with."

Detective Ghunshotte rolled her eyes. She leaned up against the witness stand and raked her long fingernails on the wood, making a loud screeching sound. "Alright. Fine. Just because I know I won't get out of this until I do it," she groaned. "I'll tell you exactly what happened when I went to see the victim. How does that sound? Will you finally shut it if I do that?"

"Go on ahead," Prosecutor Cruz instructed. Judging by the tension in his face, he was just as angry with Detective Ghunshotte as the rest of us. I just wanted to get her testimony over with. She was more than a little bit aggravating...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you were looking closely, you might have seen the chapter cap increase from 61 to 62 on this chapter. There's going to be a bonus chapter including basic character information at the end of this story, so I wanted to tack that extra chapter on there now in case I forget. 
> 
> I have a lot to talk about today, most of it Fire Emblem related. Soren got an alt on heroes (crying inside and out over that), I got a shiny Ponyta on Pokemon Go, and I got a minor voice acting thing (I can send the link for anyone who wants it). I'm in a pretty good mood all around. 
> 
> I also did an info dump on future updates for this book on pixiesandangles on Instagram, which I have purposed into an account to talk about my writing stuff, so feel free to check that out if you're interested in how this story is going to go from here. 
> 
> With all that said, I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Digital


	29. Turnabout on the Waves, Part 9

**May 31**

**Courtroom No. 4**

**11:15 AM**

**Lily Shield**

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ My Encounter With the Victim ~**

_\- "Since you're clearly so insistent on hearing what I was doing when I saw the victim, I'll tell you!"_

_\- "I was there to speak with him about the Oracle of the Law since he knew a lot about them!"_

_\- "When I finally found him, he was alone by the water with some sort of bag!"_

_\- "He was already dead! He was face down in the water tied to the dock by a rope!"_

_\- "The garment was already there too!"_

_\- "See?! The reason I ran away was because I saw him dead and was going to call the police for backup!"_

_\- "I hope that satisfies you, damn good for nothing lawyers!"_

The first thing that clicked in my head after this testimony was over was that this witness sure was filled with rage. I didn't know how else to describe her. Detective Ghunshotte looked more than ready to lunge for my throat and cut it out if she was given the chance. To say the least, it was enough to give me chills. Chrysalis seemed to think the same thing, judging by the way that her gloved hands were tightly gripping the defense bench sitting before us.

"Now that you have heard the testimony of the witness, what do you think, defense?" Robbie asked with his arms crossed. I could tell that something about it was bugging him. He seemed to be a bit more on edge than usual. I couldn't blame him. Part of me was saying that something about the witness' words was wrong as well. I couldn't say for sure what it was right then though. I'd have to take one last look through the evidence to say certainly what was wrong.

"I think that it's time for me to begin my cross-examination. I have a question to ask the witness," I declared. "What do you think of that, Your Honor?"

"Go right ahead," Judge Frost nodded. "That is, unless the prosecution has any objections on the matter. Prosecutor Cruz? Prosecutor Shield?"

"The prosecution has no objections, Your Honor," Prosecutor Cruz proclaimed. "Go on and get started already."

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ My Encounter With the Victim ~**

_\- "Since you're clearly so insistent on hearing what I was doing when I saw the victim, I'll tell you!"_

_\- "I was there to speak with him about the Oracle of the Law since he knew a lot about them!"_

_\- "When I finally found him, he was alone by the water with some sort of bag!"_

_\- "He was already dead! He was face down in the water tied to the dock by a rope!"_

_\- "The garment was already there too!"_

_\- "See?! The reason I ran away was because I saw him dead and was going to call the police for backup!"_

_\- "I hope that satisfies you, damn good for nothing lawyers!"_

"Objection!"

"I'm afraid, witness, that this does not satisfy me. I have a glaring issue with your testimony that I feel we must address," I explained with a small smirk on my face. "In your testimony, you told the court that you found the body by the lake and ran off to call the police because of it. Do you still stand by that statement?"

"Why would I take it back? Lying in a court of law is a punishable offense, you know," Detective Ghunshotte told me, tapping her foot impatiently. She scratched her nails up against the witness stand more, which was killer on my poor ears. Did she not realize how loud that noise was to the rest of us in the court?!

"I have some evidence that goes against that," I said, pulling up a piece of paper. "I was under the impression that the witness from yesterday, Cassidy Rinko, found the body and called the police after having seen it. If the prosecution doesn't mind my asking, is that correct? Did you hear that information as well?"

"We did," Robbie nodded. "We heard loud and clear from the operator who received the call that the one who reported the body was Cassidy Rinko. That means that you, Detective Ghunshotte, have just lied to the court. What was that about lying in court being a punishable offense again? Could you repeat that for me?"

Detective Ghunshotte glared at Robbie before looking to me. "So what if somebody else reported the discovery of the body? That doesn't matter! The point is that I did not kill the victim. Even if you thought that I did, you don't have a single piece of evidence to prove it. As a lawyer, I'm sure that you know this, but evidence is everything in court. Without something to back up an accusation, you're just spouting meaningless words," she told me with a twisted smile. She examined her nails before looking back up at me. "So, do you have anything to prove that I did it? I'm going to be on my way if you can't think of anything."

"Neptune seemed to have this all figured out... She seemed to know exactly what the evidence we were searching for to accuse her was. What could it be though?" Chrysalis asked, tapping her foot on the ground nervously. "Without that, our case is as good as garbage..." She continued to look down for another moment before letting out a gasp. "Wait a minute! If you're alright with it, Your Honor, I have a question to ask the witness. May I?"

"Go right ahead," Judge Frost said with a nod.

"Would you be able to describe the crime scene to the court one more time? I'd like to hear about it, if you don't mind," Chrysalis told Detective Ghunshotte. If we're being perfectly honest here, I had no idea what she was up to, but I was going to have to count on it if I wanted to continue this trial and keep on questioning her.

"I got there and saw the body floating in the water. Its foot was tied by a rope to the nearby dock so it wouldn't float away. There was a garment in the water nearby that was also floating. A bag was on the ground, clearly having been rummaged through. I saw a photo next to it. Since it wasn't a windy day, it somehow hadn't been blown away," Detective Ghunshotte told her before scratching her nails once again on the witness stand. I could have sworn I saw everyone cringe at the unpleasant sound. I know for sure I did, at the very least. "What's so important about it? To my knowledge, it doesn't matter at all."

"That's it!" Chrysalis hissed to me. "I think I finally figured it out! I know what evidence Neptune was talking about before!" She gestured for me to lean in a little bit closer so we could talk without anybody listening in. "The photo was said to be on the ground near the body when it was found, as far as I remember. Plus, the witness even said it was sitting there. If you ask me, I think that the picture might be our last little bit of evidence to pull this whole case together."

"I'm afraid I don't follow," I frowned. "How could that photo be the final piece in this puzzle? I mean, I know that it was found at the crime scene, but didn't we already deem it unrelated? I don't understand how we'd be able to tie it back into everything and still make our explanation sound clean and accurate."

"If you ask me, taking that photo out of consideration was our problem. Neptune's bag was a little bit messy when we found it, but I don't think that any gust of wind, no matter the size, would have been able to pull anything out of it. Even if it was as untidy as it gets, everything was still inside and it could be zipped shut. If that's really the case, then how would the photo have gotten out of it? It doesn't make sense, unless you say that somebody went through it and pulled the photo out on purpose," Chrysalis explained. "The witness just told us herself that it looked as if someone had gone through the bag. I bet that if we asked for a forensic examination on the contents of the bag, we'd get results that would tell us loud and clear that she was the one who got into it that day."

"I see what you're getting at now! If she went into the bag, then her fingerprints have to be on something inside! I bet that the photo no longer has traces of her prints since we've been holding it and passing it around a bunch, but there are other pieces of evidence inside that bag that must have her prints on them. If she went through it, then there's no way that she couldn't have done it," I whispered. "After all, the victim was the one who took it. If he stole it, then she would have had to try to take it away from him to get a good look inside. Because of his attachment to the bag, the only real option for her was to kill him so that she could take it for herself. Of course, she ended up being spotted by Cassidy and caught in her lies, which means that she won't be getting away with it."

"I bet that she was in such a hurry to get away after having killed someone that she forgot the bag completely when she realized someone was watching her. She was too focused on getting away to snatch it as she made her escape," Chrysalis responded. "We can use that to our advantage by having forensics examine it and show who the real culprit behind this case was. If we can reveal this much, then she's bound to break and confess to her crimes."

"That sounds good to me. I'd rather she confess than have to try and explain how the garment found near the body fits into everything. I have no idea how it could be related, to tell the truth," I admitted with an awkward grin. "At the very least, I don't have any solid evidence to prove any theories."

"I don't have evidence either, but I think that it has something to do with the way the victim was lusting after Neptune. I bet that she could have used her attractive figure to catch his attention and get him under her thumb in no time. Maybe she tried to seduce him and that happened in the process," Chrysalis suggested. "But we can worry about this later. For now, we need to tell the court that we've figured out how to catch the killer. That should be our priority."

I nodded and turned back to Detective Ghunshotte, who was examining her nails with a sly smirk on her lips. "If you don't mind, Your Honor, I have a request to make," I declared. "I believe I know exactly how to prove that the witness is the one who committed the crime. If you'd be willing to let it happen, I'd like a test to be done on the bag belonging to the defendant, Neptune Mercure. The bag was dismissed as being unimportant early on in the investigation, but the defense believes that the real killer got into the bag and thus got their prints on the contents of the bag. If we can figure out who got in there, then we can prove exactly who killed the victim. I believe that the witness is the killer, but we can't prove such until we can get the bag tested by forensics. Is that alright with you?"

"That sounds alright by me. What do you think of that, witness?" asked Judge Frost. I could see something akin to a smirk on her lips. Maybe it was just me, but I got the feeling that she was a little bit smug. It wouldn't surprise me. From the second that Detective Ghunshotte appeared at the stand, I got the feeling that Judge Frost wasn't exactly fond of her, but then again, I could join her in that boat. The detective was nothing short of completely infuriating to me.

Detective Ghunshotte had frozen at my suggestion when I looked back to her. Her eyes were wide as she stared at her fingernails. "You... You really are trying to pin this on me, aren't you?" she asked softly, refusing to meet anyone's expectant gaze. "You can't be serious... I'm not a criminal... I'm no killer... You're just grasping at straws to try and put me in that dismal prison. That's what all lawyers do. You aren't any different from the rest of the people in that damn profession. Are you trying to be special or edgy or something? Huh? Is that it?"

I held back a comment about how she seemed to be the edgy one based off the way she was dressed. Instead, I let an innocent smile appear on my lips. "So... It sounds to me like you have an issue with that proposition. Why do you think you're so nervous? We're incredibly curious as to why this is. If you wouldn't mind, could you please explain that to the court? That is... Unless you feel that it will put you into prison... In that case, we'll have to lock you away right now, so an answer would be very much appreciated," I told her. I couldn't contain my smile. We were winning!

Detective Ghunshotte began to growl under her breath. Suddenly, she let out an ear-piercing scream. It echoed throughout the courtroom, making me flinch. I covered up my ears as it got louder. Detective Ghunshotte began scratching at her arms with her long nails, leaving deep red wounds that were impossible to look away from. She kept on yelling as her nails began to crack. With one final cry, they completely shattered, showing that they were stick-on nails to begin with. They fell to the floor as messy debris at her feet. Detective Ghunshotte stared down at the pieces, hair covering up her face. When she looked up, there was a smile of madness on her face. She began to laugh uncontrollably, pointing at me as she did so. I got the feeling she was trying to say something, but I couldn't figure out what the hell it was she was attempting to get across.

"You think that you've won this all, don't you?!" she roared. "This is just the beginning! Occisor will not be brought down by someone as simple as you! Our plans will eternally live on! Besides, you're a damn fool if you think I'm just going to give myself up like this! I may have taken a risk by seducing him into coming with me to the lake, but I won't be making any other mistakes! This is just the beginning of everything that was meant to play out here today! You're about to feel the full rage of the Occisor group! I hope you're all ready!"

A laugh escaped Detective Ghunshotte's lips once more as I heard the doors being flung open. I turned to see that a group of four other figures had entered. I couldn't say for sure who they were, but I was instantly made uneasy by their presence. They were all wearing nothing but black and had knives in their hands. Chrysalis let out a gasp and began to mess with the hem of her jacket. I found myself taking a small step back towards her. This couldn't be happening. I had been sure that Detective Ghunshotte was cornered. She was about to be forced into surrender, and then this had to happen! Could things get any worse at this point?! The people that she had called in were probably murderers like she was too! If they were part of Occisor, they just had to be!

"Occisor isn't going to fall here. We weren't meant to. There's a pesky Oracle that still needs catching. Just like that fool with the katana from two years ago, we're going to show them what we can do. They got too involved in something that doesn't involve them. It was inevitable that they be targeted by us," Detective Ghunshotte said with a small laugh. "If you all know what's good for you, you'll let us go. All of my friends in here have snuck guns into the courtroom that will open fire immediately should anyone try to make a move and restrain us. That being said, I'll be on my way." She turned on her heel and walked out of the room with her friends. Once they were out of sight, the courtroom remained silent for a few moments longer. Everyone was too afraid to even think of speaking. My knees were feeling weak, like they were ready to give out at even the slightest movement. I hadn't even noticed how labored my breathing had become.

Judge Frost stared at the door in silence for another two or so minutes after they disappeared before speaking. None of her bailiffs had pursued them, seeming to know that it would only result in trouble. The courthouse was filled with innocent people that could very easily be hurt should anyone attempt to pursue them. "I... I believe that it's time for us to bring this trial to a close," she declared eventually. "Are there any objections from the defense or prosecution?"

"I don't have any objections," I said. I was surprised that I had managed to speak those words without my voice cracking. I was ready to collapse from fear and adrenaline. This was all happening too fast. First, we had found the killer. Then, she'd broken down. After that, a random group of killers had shown up to make sure that she got out without being arrested. It was crazy. I hoped that I'd be able to avoid murder cases that were deceptively innocent for quite some time. Then again, giving my luck, that probably wasn't going to happen. It seemed that the agency and I were doomed to eternally get cases that were like this, if the murder at the prison on top of this drowning case weren't indications of that already.

"The prosecution has no objections either," Prosecutor Cruz declared. His sunglasses were making him hard to read, but I still could have sworn that there was something like fear in his eyes. He was probably just as scared as I was behind those glasses. I doubted he'd ever admit that much though, so I'd just have to trust my gut instinct on that for the rest of my life. I was fine with that. I wanted to leave this case and everything involved with it behind forever.

"In that case, I believe that it's time for me to announce my verdict," Judge Frost said. "But before that, did we ever figure out how the culprit committed the crime? I'd like to know how the garment was connected to the rest of the crime. I get the feeling that it was no mere coincidence that it wound up there with the body. If there are any explanations, I'd be glad to hear them now. The court files will likely require this information anyways, so we might as well get it out of the way."

"She said that she seduced the victim, so I'm going to guess that she met him by the lake and used his perversion to her advantage. With a little bit of sweet talk and alluring behavior, she could have easily gotten him under her thumb. Maybe the garment was removed as part of the 'sexy' ruse she was putting on before he died. Afterwards, it could have floated out of her reach where she couldn't retrieve it before making her escape," Chrysalis said. "Of course, that's just a suggestion, and I can't say for sure, but..."

"Thank you," Judge Frost nodded. "With that said, it's time for me to announce my verdict. This court hereby finds the defendant, Neptune Mercure, not guilty. Court is adjourned!" With a triumphant slamming of the gavel, the trial was ended. Conversation filled with fearful words erupted above me. I didn't say a thing. Instead, I collected my things and made a beeline for the nearby lobby. I wanted to get out of here as quickly as I possibly could. I wished I could erase this day from my memory forever.

**May 31**

**Defendant Lobby No. 4**

**1:00 PM**

**Neptune Mercure**

Once we finally got out of the courtroom, I dashed instantly for the couch. My legs were feeling weak after all of that, even if I had been sitting throughout all of it. Judging by the nervous chatter around me, everybody else was just as scared as I was. I couldn't blame anyone here. I hadn't expected something like that to happen. I had never anticipated that detective to end up being part of Occisor. I couldn't help but want to know more, but I decided to hold back on that. The woman who had turned out to be part of it was definitely dangerous. Her other companions were just as risky to be around. I wasn't even sure if Detective Ghunshotte was her real name. After all, Occisor's members seemed far too smart to do something like just reveal their actual names to the world upon being exposed.

"Um... Neptune?"

I looked up when I heard Chrysalis standing in front of me. She was clutching the paper I had given her before tightly. I moved aside and patted the space next to me so she'd want to sit down. She followed my gesture and took the seat. "You... You know a lot about Oracle, I see," she murmured softly. "I don't really know what else to say, so excuse my awkwardness... All of this is a bit overwhelming, you know? I'm sorry about how nervous I am in advance..."

"It's alright," I assured her. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her a bit closer. I could feel her shaking under my grasp. She didn't try to pull away, instead relaxing into my arms. "Are you feeling alright? I know that was rather stressful, but you seem unnaturally unnerved. Do you want to talk about it? I'll be happy to listen to you. You're a sweet kid. I feel like I should protect you, in some strange way. Is that weird? That probably sounds weird considering we just met a few days ago."

"It's fine... You know, you sort of remind me of my best friend. Well... Former best friend now. She died not long ago. I'm sure you've heard about Cassidy's older sister, Venus. She passed away in an incident involving Oracle. I had been hoping to stop thinking about them, but I can't. There's too much to look into. I need to know who they are so that I can hear the truth about her involvement. It's been nagging away at me ever since... Honestly, you're a lot like her. She was quirky and optimistic. She was also a bit motherly, always there if I was upset or something was bothering me. Plus, you're practically the spitting image of Venus. The main difference is that your hair streaks are blue while hers were pink. I never would have expected to end up finding her doppelgänger while in the middle of the grieving process, but I'm glad that we met, in a strange sort of way. I guess fate was smiling down on us despite this disaster of a murder case," Chrysalis told me.

"I'm glad we met also," I smiled. "The circumstances weren't exactly the best for our chance encounter, but it all worked out okay, so I think we're fine. I'm glad that I was able to get out of that scrape with your help. It wouldn't have been good if I had ended up in prison. I can tell you now that the people I'm living with now wouldn't have been happy to hear that I had gotten myself into trouble. As nice as they are, I wouldn't have wanted to be around when they heard about me ending up in jail should the verdict have gone sour."

"Where are you living anyways? I don't recognize the address on the paper you gave me," Chrysalis said. "If I'm going to come and see you, it might help if I know exactly where I'm going so I don't get lost or something like that."

"Oh, I totally understand your concern. I'd be happy to tell you. I live with a family that owns a large information gathering company. You probably have heard of Gather Law, correct?" I asked. "I live with the current CEO, his wife, his two children, and two of their workers. They're kind people. After an incident a few months ago, I needed a place to stay while I got back on my feet. They gladly took me in and have been helping me ever since. It means a lot to me that they've been so caring. I'll gladly introduce you if you ever want to come and talk to me about... Well, you know. I don't think I really need to say it again."

"Yeah... Speaking of that, I want to know... How did you learn about all of this?" Chrysalis questioned. "I apologize if my asking that is getting irritating, but I really want to know the answer. We're friends now, right? Can't you just tell me this one little thing? I need to know the truth about Oracle. It's critically important."

"It's only natural that I know about Oracle. I live with the family that owns the largest information gathering company in the area. It even rivals those all over the nation. Because of all the information I have at my disposal, it's easy to learn most things that are put on paper there," I explained. I leaned in a bit closer to whisper into her ear. "As a matter of fact, it wouldn't surprise me if the others all knew who Oracle was as well. They have just as much on hand to learn the truth about the spy. That being said, we're going to be on your side should you ever want to talk about it. I know that you'll be ready to face the truth soon. I have faith in you."

Chrysalis didn't say anything in response. She just gripped the paper I had given her a little bit tighter. I saw fear in her eyes even if she was trying to dodge my gaze. I held her a little bit closer in hopes that this action would be able to console her. "It'll be alright. I promise. I'll always be your ally in the face of uncertainty. I swear it on my life," I told her. She curled up a little bit closer to my chest before closing her eyes. Her shoulders were tense, but I still kept her near me in hopes that it would be able to calm her down.

We sat there for a few moments before standing up. "Well, I should probably take a cab down to the lake now. I need to pick up my car. It's probably still there because I was never there to take it back home," I said. "I'll see you later. We can talk more about the Oracle situation whenever you're ready. My door is always open to a friend. I hope you would do the same thing for me if something was on my mind. It's only what friends would do for each other, wouldn't you agree?"

Chrysalis nodded. "I... I'm glad that you were willing to talk to me about this. It means a lot to me. I'll see you around soon. I... I get the feeling that we're going to be crossing paths in the future regardless of if we like it or not," she murmured. "Until then, you stay out of trouble, alright? I don't want to have to defend you from murder charges again. Even if we can get you out of that scrape, it's still a bit more stress than I'd like to have on my plate... Well, I'll talk to you later, Neptune. Have a nice day."

We waved to one another and turned to go our separate ways. As I left the courthouse, I pulled out my phone and called one of the numbers in my contacts list. After ringing for a few times, the phone emitted a noise that sounded like a greeting. I didn't give the person on the other end a chance to speak. "I'm out of the trial. I got a not guilty. I'll be home soon. Give me a little bit to go and get my car... I started talking to her. She doesn't suspect a thing. The secret is safe... She might come over soon to talk about it. Can't say when... I'll talk to you when I get home. Bye."

And with that, I hung up.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had today off school, so here's an update much sooner than usual. 
> 
> I might try and do a second update later on to reach the halfway point and finish off this case. For now, I'm going to write the second half of the chapter I started yesterday. After that, you might get a miscellaneous update. It depends on the mood I'm in. 
> 
> That should be about it. I'll see you guys later!
> 
> -Digital


	30. Turnabout on the Waves, Part 10

**May 31**

**Defendant Lobby No. 1**

**1:15 PM**

**Lily Shield**

After we had gotten out of the courtroom, Chrysalis and I went our separate ways. She went over to talk to Neptune. I hung out by the wall, using it to support myself. I was still feeling weak after that whole commotion. My heart hadn't stopped pounding since the trial ended. I couldn't help the fear that was creeping into my mind more with every passing second. I wished that this whole case hadn't happened to begin with. After all, if the case didn't happen, then this whole thing wouldn't have happened either. I wished for nothing more than to travel back in time and reverse this whole mess before it could start, but that was impossible, so I was left staring down as I leaned up against the wall near the door.

"Lily!"

I looked up when I heard Yuri's voice. She dashed over and took my hand. Deirdre was a few feet behind her. "You sure look stressed after all that. Are you feeling okay? Do you want to go home?" asked Yuri. Even if she was trying to cheer me up, she probably should have focused on helping herself. I could see her shaking, even if she was trying to hide it the best she could. I felt a pang of pity for her, seeing her so afraid. She shouldn't have ended up in this mess to begin with.

"I'm fine," I smiled, you know, like a liar. "Are you guys feeling alright? I'm sure it was quite a shock to see something like that happen so suddenly... I wasn't expecting it either. The killer seemed to be a bit... Well... Easy to anger, but I still wasn't anticipating something like that. Also, it's crazy that Occisor was involved with two of our cases back to back. Maybe this agency is just incredibly unlucky in that department. I hope we're not destined to end up in trouble like that forever. That wouldn't be fun."

"I hope that's not it also. It would be a serious disaster if we found ourselves in cases like that all the time," Yuri said. "But we can't really jump to conclusions like that now. We should focus on what's going on in the moment. Do you want to go and talk to your client? I forgot her name. Oops. I guess that's what you get when you don't show up for the first day of the trial."

"Speaking of, when did you guys get here? I didn't think you were coming to see the trial yesterday, so what made you decide to come?" I asked.

"We had a bunch of paperwork to fill out yesterday, so we couldn't really find time to sneak out and come see you. We were able to handle it for today though, so I convinced Deirdre to come with me!" Yuri chirped. "Also, I have a question for you two... Did you guys notice how your client looks a lot like Venus? I mean, they're practically identical. It's a little bit creepy, if I'm being perfectly honest."

"Chrysalis seemed to notice that. Speaking of, she should be over here soon. She's been talking to Ms. Mercure ever since the trial got out. They seem to be discussing something pretty serious. I don't think I want to butt into it," I said. "Anyways, is there anything else you guys want to talk about before we head back to the agency? Also, is Mr. Morix around here at all? It seems a bit odd to me that you two would show up while he chose not to. Did he mention anything about that to you?"

"He said that he wanted to hold down the fort in case we got any other defense requests," Yuri explained. "I'm sure he'd be happy to hear about this victory in court, though he won't be quite so satisfied to learn that Occisor made another public appearance. It wouldn't surprise me if he hated them given the way things have been going so far. Then again, I bet a lot of people aren't exactly fond of them since they're kind of killers that have been on the loose for heaven only knows how long."

"Don't remind me. I just hope we don't ever have to see them again," I told her with a shudder. "Today was terrifying enough in my eyes. I bet that they're getting very close to finding out who Oracle is too. I can't quite tell for sure though... I guess we'll just have to see how the future plays out... I can only hope that it happens when we aren't in immediate danger... Today was a close call. If those guys had decided to do much else, we would have been toast. It really makes you appreciate the simple things in life, such as not being dead, you know? I don't really know how else I can describe this sort of feeling... Here's to praying that we never have to worry about it again."

"There's no way to say how things will end up now," Deirdre frowned. "We can't predict the future. Instead, we'll just have to wait."

"Yeah... I don't really want to do that, but what choice do we have?" I asked. "Oh, well. It's fine. Let's focus on other things for the time being. We should head back to the agency soon. Mr. Morix will probably want our help if there's another case. This city seems pretty susceptible to false accusations as well, which means that we're going to have our work cut out for us should something else happen."

"Sounds good to me. Let's just pick up Chrysalis first. She won't like it if we leave her. She's a useless bisexual. Well, I say that, but I just mean that she can't drive. Bisexuals either can't cook, can't do math, or can't drive, and she's in the last category for sure," Yuri shrugged. She looked over to the couch where Chrysalis was sitting. Our coworker was nuzzled up against Ms. Mercure. "Wow... Just when I start talking about her bisexuality, it appears... Talk about luck."

"I don't think she has any crushes. I certainly would have picked up on something if it was there," I remarked. "But that isn't important right now. The point is that we should be heading back to the agency soon. Mr. Morix will probably be wondering what's taking us so long. I get the feeling that he's about as protective of his sister as Robbie is of me. He could panic if we leave him without an update for too long. Call it a gut instinct that he'd get antsy. Anyways, let's go and head for the car."

"I'll go and get Chrysalis," Yuri said. I turned to look where she was sitting on the couch. Ms. Mercure had gotten up and left, so Chrysalis was alone now. She was staring down at a small piece of paper in her hands, but I couldn't say for sure what was on it. I figured it would be best to stay out of it. What was her business was her business. I didn't want to butt into it and end up finding out something I didn't want to hear about. You could say I'm pretty easygoing in that respect.

Yuri dashed over to where Chrysalis was sitting and helped her to her feet. The two of them talked for a moment or two. Judging by the solemn expression on Yuri's face, they were discussing something pretty serious. Chrysalis kept on glancing down at the slip of paper between her fingers. After chatting for about a minute or two, they came back over to us. "Okay. We're ready to head out," Yuri smiled. "Chrysalis is probably going to go and see Neptune though. Apparently, they bonded a lot after the trial. Are we sure that she doesn't have a crush on our new planet-named friend? It certainly wouldn't surprise me. She doesn't get cuddly like that with just anyone."

"Of course not," Chrysalis said dismissively. "We're just going to have a civil discussion about Oracle. She's got a lot of information she wants to share with me. It's as simple as that. I'm going to ask Cotoli to give me a ride over there once we get back to the agency, so... Deirdre is probably going to end up in charge."

"Why not me?" Yuri asked, pouting in the direction of the older girl. "Why not Lily, for that matter? Isn't she older than Deirdre? Do you not trust us or something? I have seniority over them, you know! I've known you for two years now, for crying out loud!"

"It's not that I don't trust you. I just get the feeling that Cotoli is going to want to give her a taste of power or something. I don't know. I won't know until we go and see him. That being said, let's split up, hop in the cars, and head back to the agency. I don't really want to linger around here for much longer. A lot has happened here today. I don't want to stay here where it's so easy to go back to thinking about. I want to forget that today ever happened, for the most part," Chrysalis said. "The trial was nothing short of a complete mess, so can you really blame me for wanting to forget about it? Lily looked ready to straight up pass out by the time it was over. I could have sworn half the gallery was scared witless. All in all, it was just a mess that I really don't want to think about further."

"Alright. I guess we can go and see who Mr. Morix wants in charge," Yuri sighed. "Come on, Deirdre. We have places to be and responsibilities to assume! I hope. I like being in charge. It means that I am ultra powerful or something. Being as short as I am, I don't get that feeling often, so I like to treasure it when it does come once in a blue moon."

Deirdre nodded her agreement with a small, humored smile before walking out of the lobby with Yuri. I turned to Chrysalis. She was staring down at that piece of paper again. When she noticed my eyes were on her, she looked up and stuffed it into her pocket. "If you want the truth, I just don't think it's a good idea to put Yuri in charge. She gets power-hungry. I guess that comes with the territory of being the youngest kid or something... Then again, I'm the baby of my family, but I'm still relatively normal. Yuri is just a strange case, I suppose," Chrysalis told me.

Even if I told myself I wasn't going to snoop into any personal business today, I couldn't help but wonder about that note. Was it important? I hadn't really noticed it until after the trial ended. If it was important, maybe she'd be willing to tell me about it. Before I could think twice, I let out a sigh. "What's on that piece of paper? You've been staring at it constantly ever since Ms. Mercure left. Is something wrong?" I asked, hoping that she wouldn't react badly.

"It's nothing important. We should just go. Yuri's definitely going to lord it over our heads if she and Deirdre beat us back to the agency," Chrysalis said. She walked for the door in a hurry, clearly desperate to escape this conversation before I could really find out what the note was about.

However, I wasn't going to let that happen. I reached out my hand and took her wrist gently between my fingers. She tensed up as she turned back to face me. "You know that you can always talk to me if something is wrong, right?" I asked. "I know that we haven't known each other for very long, but I like to think that you're able to trust me if something is on your mind. I'd be glad to listen if you just need to vent out your frustrations or something. I can tell that note is bothering me. Why won't you just tell me about it?"

"I... I'd rather keep this private for the time being, if you don't mind," Chrysalis murmured. "And it isn't that I don't trust you or anything like that, before you get thoughts like that in your head. I'm just a bit slow to warm to people. It'll take some more time before I can fully place my faith in you. I can tell that you're a trustworthy person. I just need to take care of my own reservations first. As for the note, it's private business between me and Neptune. After we've taken care of it, I can tell you all about it. However, I'm still going to need a little while to think it all over. I hope that you understand and don't get all mad about it. I wouldn't want to upset you because of it."

"It's alright. I'm fine with you taking your time. Just know that whenever you're ready to talk about it, I'll be here for you. Do you understand that?" I asked, gently taking one shoulder between my fingers. She was a bit tense at first before relaxing into my grip. "I won't ever use something like that against you. I get that trust takes time to build, but I'll always be here for you if you need someone to talk to regardless of how strong our bond is at that point. It's what friends do for each other, you know?"

"Friends... I see. Thank you for all of this, Lily. I'm glad you're not pressing me too hard on this. I don't want to be forced to say something I'm not exactly ready to share," she said. "Now, we've been in here for long enough. Let's head back to the agency to take care of the rest of our business for today. I swear, I can already hear Yuri's voice in the back of my head, mocking us for being so late... She can get a bit smug sometimes, but I know that she has good intentions. She's a good kid, just so long as you don't get on her bad side. She can be downright terrifying should you cross her."

"I sort of sensed that," I remarked with a smile. "And I agree. Let's get going. I won't have your brother panicking over how late we are. I get the feeling he's the type to be made nervous easily. Would I be correct in that assumption?"

Chrysalis let out a small giggle. "You have no idea."

**May 31**

**Unknown Location**

**Unknown Time**

**Unknown Perspective**

When I arrived outside the building, I stared it up and down with a frown. I hadn't anticipated something like this. The past few months had been a bit messy for me and my coworkers. More and more incidents were taking place, which did nothing but make everything even harder for me. Occisor was turning out to be a real thorn in my side. I was going to have to be more careful than ever before if I wanted to avoid their grasp. If they were really watching my every move like they seemed to be, then caution was the only thing that would keep me alive. Of course, I knew full well that they weren't able to do that. They didn't know who I was yet, but things could easily change and take a turn for the worse at any moment. I did everything with hesitation these days. I wished that I could just figure out where they were hiding out so that I could haul them off to prison for their crimes. That would certainly make my job easier. Plus, I'd be one step closer to achieving my endgame goals.

"Hello there. I expected you to come by sooner or later."

I turned to the right upon hearing a voice. There was a young woman standing just beside the door. A small smile was on her face. I frowned as I approached her. "I see. You predicted that we'd meet," I murmured.

"Of course I did. I got the feeling that the message would end up in your hands eventually... Of course, I didn't expect you to come in costume. I didn't realize we were having some sort of masquerade ball here. Do you have an explanation for why you look the way you do?" the woman asked of me. Despite her smirk, I wasn't sensing anything malicious from her, at least not yet. Even so, it was enough to make me shudder a little bit.

"I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about," I lied, hoping she wouldn't be able to see through me.

"When I gave that young girl the note, I had a sneaking suspicion that it would get around to you. I was correct. Good, good... Now, please come inside. We have a few things to talk about. I wouldn't want to keep our lovely spy waiting, now would I?" The young woman let out a small laugh as she opened the door and gestured for me to enter. I stuck one hand into my pocket and toyed with my phone for a moment, ready to whip it out and call for help should something go wrong. After taking a deep breath, I walked inside.

The building was rather fancy, which I admit I should have seen coming. I didn't have time to linger on my surroundings though. Instead, I turned to the young woman beside me. "If you don't mind my asking, I want to know exactly how you learned of this truth. I want to hear all the details, and I'd like to hear them now," I said. My voice was as hard as rocks to get the point across. My hand clenched into a fist at my side as I internally crossed my fingers in prayer that she'd agree to tell me.

"You don't need to be like that," the young woman assured me. "Follow me. I can show you to a private location. I don't want anyone else overhearing and getting assumptions about you. That wouldn't be good, now would it?" I wanted to say that she was wrong, but deep down, I knew she wasn't. There had to be other people around here somewhere. There was no way that one woman who didn't even appear twenty yet could own a home as large as this one. If there were other people, that meant that they could easily overhear us if they came too close. I didn't want to be alone with her out of fear this was some twisted trap, but at the same time, I didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

The young woman led me into a room far from the entrance. It appeared to be a guest bedroom. It was pretty messy. Clothes were draped on the various shelves in the room. Papers were scattered about on the ground. I had to watch my step to keep from crushing any of them under my shoes. Just to be sure I wouldn't mess anything up, I walked on my toes. I hoped the young woman couldn't see any signs of weakness. I didn't know her well enough yet to be sure that she wouldn't jump at the opportunity to do anything illegal or unnecessary. I was going to need to be on my guard until I had properly evaluated the situation.

She was able to navigate her messy room with ease, making it to the bed on the far side within a matter of seconds. I was still trying to skirt around the crinkled papers that I could see everywhere. I tried to catch a glance at them to see what they were about, but unfortunately, I couldn't really read them. The handwriting was far too untidy for me to even attempt it.

"Sit down, please," the young woman instructed of me. Despite the solemn severity of the situation, she didn't seem to mind. She had a bright smile on her face and a chipper quality to her voice. I couldn't help but shudder. There had to be something darker hiding behind that wide grin and welcoming attitude. I couldn't put a finger on it yet, but I was positive something was going on.

"I want to know how you figured it out," I demanded of her, less willing to cooperate this time around. She hadn't answered my question before, so I'd just have to press it out of her. Luckily, I was a professional at doing that. I had drilled many a criminal before. Even if she wasn't evil (which I couldn't say for sure at that moment), I still figured it was a good idea to get this out of her. She had to tell me how she figured this out. I wasn't going to be leaving easily without that information.

"Getting right down to business, I see," she murmured. "I don't understand why you're asking me this. I'm just a humble private investigator trying to learn more about the world that I live in. It's harmless, really." She shrugged to herself and picked up a mint from a bowl sitting on a small table beside the bed. The bowl was barely visible under a pair of papers on top of the table's surface. "I don't understand why you're getting so tense over this. It's nothing important. If it was important, you'd likely know about it already. What about you go on and let go of this topic? I know. That's what matters. You can now talk to me openly about anything that's on your mind. It's a simple concept, if you ask me."

"I can't do that," I told her, resisting the urge to growl at her with every piece of my being. "This is important. Even if you think that it's just something to be brushed off or ignored, I'm not able to let it go. The fact that you know could change the course of this city forever. Everything that we've ever known could easily be snapped into a million pieces in the blink of an eye. Two years of work to reform this mess of a court system will have gone to waste. You must understand how serious this is." I had to bite my tongue to keep from shouting at her. I was sure that she knew how bad this was. She just had to be choosing to focus on other things for the time being. I knew it.

"It really doesn't matter how I know though," she continued to insist. "I told you that I know. We both figured out that I'm as knowledgeable on the matter as you are. We've covered that. Now that we've taken care of it, we can move on to talk about other things. I want you to understand that I am your ally in this world that does nothing but try to hurt you. I'll always be your ally. That's never going to change."

"It could change if you don't tell me what's going on," I found myself snapping.

"You know you can't let that happen. If you betray me and leave me behind, then I could easily tell anyone and everyone about you. I bet it would take less than a day for everything to crumble into dust. If I wanted to, I could throw you into complete despair." The young woman finally swallowed her mint. "Of course, I'm not going to do that. I'm a far nicer person than you seem to think I am. I know everything that there is to know about you. I'm not going to use it for evil though. I'm instead going to use it to help you out. I won't leave you behind to face the world alone. That's just not the type of person that I am."

"Then what type of person are you?" I asked her. "I don't have a clue. I didn't even know you until that note showed up. You told that girl to talk to you about Oracle if she ever learns about it and needs a confidant. Even so, you gave it to her knowing it would reach me eventually. If you ask me, you seem like some serious puppet master. To my knowledge, you didn't even know her until a few days ago. That sounds incredibly suspicious in my eyes. I can't say for sure what type of person you are when you're being this mysterious. Nobody can tell."

The young woman let out a sigh. "I understand that it's confusing. Life often is. I know that you need allies on this path you have chosen though. I'm here to be that ally to you. Whether you choose to accept me or not, I will eternally be by your side. Call it an agreement of sorts," she said. "It doesn't matter if you agree to it or not. I know a lot about you. Everybody else in this house has stayed out of it for the time being. They don't seem very interested. They don't know that I'm right here with them though. An ally of the one and only Oracle is hiding right within their own walls."

"I don't understand your motivation for any of this," I muttered. "None of it makes any sense."

"It makes plenty of sense, should you know the full story. However, it will be quite some time before that is revealed. For all I know, it may not even happen. I can't say for sure. We'll just have to see. Until that time, the possible time that may or may not exist off in the far future, I'm going to keep my secrets. I've communicated the necessary words for our meeting today. That being said, I think that we're almost done here... Well, that is, unless you're willing to open up to me," the woman said. She moved a bit closer to me and put a hand over my fingers, making a shiver sprint up and down my spine. "I'm always going to be here. My door is always open for you, Oracle. Just say the word and I'll come to speak with you about whatever is troubling you. Or maybe you could come to me. Either way, the effect is the same."

"I don't understand anything that's happened here today," I found myself repeating. "I want to know how you found all this out, but clearly, you aren't in the mood to tell me. If you don't mind I'm going to be on my way. I'd rather not stay with someone who doesn't want to cooperate with me. It'll just make things more annoying for the both of us if I stick around. That being said..." I rose to my feet and started for the door. This time, I ignored the precarious maze of papers and didn't do a thing when I accidentally stepped on a few of them here and there.

"I know that you'll be back. I will not greet you with hostility when that day comes. I'll be here with open arms to greet you, Oracle," the young woman smiled. "Until that day comes, I trust that you will stay out of harm's way. Granted, that isn't the easiest for you, but I'll still have faith in you. Maybe you can turn things around and stay out of trouble for a little while. I suppose that we'll just have to see how things play out. For now, I'll see you later. I'll talk to you another time, Ms. Sakura Rai. Granted, we both know fully well that isn't your real name, but I'm not here to mess with you over your name. There are enough people out there who want to heckle you over it. I'm your ally, not your enemy, so I'll just let you go. Your secret is safe with me until you're ready to admit the truth to yourself that I'm here for you. That much I would swear on my life."

I found myself leaving a little bit faster when she said my name. I had hoped that she wouldn't know that much, but apparently, it was all in vain. I could feel fear gnawing away at my chest now. How did she know about this? When did this happen? She was saying that she wasn't going to expose me, but I was still terrified. I had an awful feeling about all of this. I could just pray that things wouldn't be as bad as I was fearing they would be in the end...

**TURNABOUT ON THE WAVES**

**END**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote out all the character descriptions for this book this past weekend, which is awesome. It's like 5k words in total, and I did the author's note, which bumped it up to 6250 or so. Yikes. 
> 
> But hey, case four is over! We're officially halfway through! After this, we have The Festive Turnabout and The Undercover Turnabout. It's going to be a wild ride from here on out. I mean, the second you see who the victim for case five is, you'll know we're in some deep shit now. 
> 
> In other words, we're going to have a great time!
> 
> -Digital


	31. The Festive Turnabout, Part 1

_"I don't want to think something like this. I don't want to think that she would ever betray us. It's not in her nature. This Neptune woman knowing... I can promise you that it isn't because she betrayed us. We've known her for years. She was one of our founders. I highly doubt that she would simply turn her back on us after meeting someone randomly. There has to be some other explanation. I'm sure of it. We need to find her and ask before anything else goes wrong."_

"If there is another explanation, then we need to find it. We can't let the truth get out. This Neptune Mercure knowing the truth is bad enough. We'll just have to carefully approach her and talk about it. This is Cassidy we're talking about. She's still the same kind and sweet girl that we've known for years. I'm sure that there's a logical explanation for this. If we ask about it, she's bound to tell us on top of that. She knows and trusts us with every fiber of her being, as I'm sure you all know."

_BOOM!_

_"Was that... Was that an explosion?! Look over there! Look at the Ferris wheel! It's on fire!"_

"That's where my brother was headed! He told Cassidy to meet him over there once they had both arrived!"

_"Please tell me that they're both okay! They have to be, right?! Right?!"_

"I... I don't know."

**July 19**

**Morix Law Offices**

**3:45 PM**

**Yuri Rinko**

Things had grown awfully quiet around the agency as of the past few hours. The day was winding down, which meant that we'd all be able to go home soon. I was happy for that. It was almost eerie how silent the building had become. Mr. Morix and Chrysalis had gone out that morning to go and see someone. They weren't saying much about it. From what I could tell, it had something to do with that Neptune woman that Lily and Chrysalis had defended. I couldn't say anything for sure though. I guessed I would hear about it at some point or another. With so few people working around here, information tended to get around easily. It wasn't all that hard to catch up on all the agency gossip because of the small size.

All of a sudden, I heard the sound of a door crashing open. I sat up after having previously been sprawled out on the couch in one of the main rooms. Whatever that sound was, I got the feeling something was wrong. After getting to my feet, I went to see what was going on. Did we have a client or something? If we did, then that could definitely mean a cure from my boredom. I wanted that more than anything. Hanging around the agency and doing nothing but paperwork can be a bit bland after a while so I welcomed the adventure that came with courtroom shenanigans.

"Hey! Is anybody in here?!"

The door to the room burst open. Prosecutor Lin was standing there, holding one hand over her chest. "Hi, Yuri..." she said between heavy gasps for air. "Sorry about my untidy appearance... I was... I was in a rush... I have bad news..." She walked over to the couch and flopped down on it, still holding her chest. Behind her was none other than Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. There was worry in his visible eye. He refused to meet my gaze, so I knew for sure that something had gone seriously wrong.

"What's going on?" I asked. "It seems like you ran all the way here. What could be so bad that you'd do something like that? You're already sort of freaking me out..."

"I'm sorry..." Prosecutor Lin murmured. "I'm really sorry for what you're about to hear... I wish it didn't have to be this way..."

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, my voice more demanding than before this time. I could feel my heart skip a beat in my chest from fearful anticipation. Whatever she was talking about couldn't really be that bad, right? At the very least, that's what I was hoping for...

"I need an attorney," Prosecutor Lin told me firmly. "Cotoli's been arrested for murder."

I let out a sharp gasp. "What?!" I cried. "But he would never kill anybody! The guy's as soft emotionally as a teddy bear! He's too timid to even tell somebody that he loves them, so how could he even think about stabbing somebody or something like that?!" This was all complete crap! I had known Mr. Morix for two years now. He had defended Venus and Cassidy back when he was first starting out. Because I had known him for so long, I knew well that he was not the type to go around killing people. Whoever made this sort of decision, to accuse him of murder, was obviously downright crazy! This couldn't be happening!

"That's not even the worst part," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke murmured. "I'm afraid that something even worse is also going to make this case even harder to solve... I mentioned that it's a murder already. However, the body was badly burned and can barely be identified. It took a lot of snooping as far as I know, but eventually, the police were able to identify the victim... I'm so, so sorry about this, Yuri... Cassidy... Cassidy is the one that Cotoli is arrested on suspicion of killing... She died this morning after being stabbed in the chest... I'm sorry..."

In that one moment, the world seemed to stop. This couldn't be happening. Cassidy couldn't be gone. I had just seen her this morning before leaving to come here, and now I was hearing she was dead? It hadn't even been six months since Venus had died! Cassidy couldn't be gone too! This couldn't possibly be real!

"I'm sorry," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke muttered. "I understand that this has got to be hard to take. Cassidy was fine just this morning, and now... She's gone..." I could have sworn I saw a small tear glistening in his visible eye, but I knew that he never would admit that it was there. I looked away, hoping that I'd be able to avoid shedding tears until I was alone. I didn't want to look like a mess in front of other people, even if my whole world seemed to shatter within the span of just a few moments. It didn't seem possible that Cassidy was really gone. I had just seen her a few hours ago, and now she was dead. Somebody had killed her. It was like the situation with Venus all over again. Last time, Venus had said that she was just going out for a quick drive to go and see someone. The next thing I knew, she was proclaimed dead on the news. Today, Cassidy had told me she was going to a carnival in town for the summer to see a few friends of hers. I never would have known that would be the last time I ever saw her. The next time I went to see her, she'd be lying on the ground, barely even there. If they were right and she had burned to death, then she wouldn't even look like my sister. She was gone this time. There was nothing I could do to change that. I felt something hollow gnaw away at my insides. I just wanted to curl up and cry. Why did this have to happen to me? Why did both of them have to die so suddenly? Who in the world would want Cassidy dead? She was only sixteen! It didn't make any sense. I just wanted to scream out my anguish until it was gone, even if I knew I wouldn't be able to do that.

"Is anybody else here? We need somebody to defend my brother," Prosecutor Lin said. "I don't want to make you do something like this. It must be an incredible shock to hear that Cassidy is gone, just like that... I don't know if it would be wise to let you investigate the case. I don't want you ending up even more hurt than before the more that you dig into things. I can just grab one of the new kids and have them help us out. How does that sound to you?"

"No," I cut in, my hands clenching into fists. "I'm not going to let this case be passed off to somebody else. I need to take it on. Cassidy is dead now. I can't change that, no matter how much I want to. However, I can help to bring whoever killed her to justice. Whoever they are, they're going to have to deal with all my fury the second I find out who they are. I just hope they're ready for it."

"Are you sure about this?" Prosecutor Lin asked gently. "I don't want you pushing yourself too far. The stress of something like this could easily get you sick. I don't want you falling ill on us. I'm sure that somebody else around here would be glad to pick up the defense case. If you still want to follow through with it, I won't stop you. However, if you feel like you need to stop because of stress, mental health, or anything else like that, don't make yourself go on. Coping with the loss of a loved one can be hard. Immediately going into something like this doesn't make it any easier. You can trust me on that. I won't try to influence your decision too much, just keep what I said in mind, okay? I don't want something bad happening to you because of this whole mess. That certainly would not be good."

"Got it," I nodded. I wasn't planning on backing out at this point. I had to figure out who killed Cassidy. Whoever they were, they were going to pay for it. I would lock them up in jail myself if I had to. Nobody could get away with doing something that awful so long as I was working with the agency. It was my job to lock people up for this, and I was more ready than ever to embrace my duty. I got to my feet and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I shot a quick text to Deirdre, asking her to come downstairs. She was in her office a floor above. I got the feeling that she'd be more than willing to go along with this case. She seemed like a sensible young woman. I'd need somebody who knew things like logic very well if we wanted to come out victorious. We had to find out who really killed Cassidy. I knew for sure that it wasn't Mr. Morix. He would never kill anyone, much less a close friend of his. All we really had to do was reveal that, though I couldn't say for sure how difficult it would be. It certainly wouldn't be easy, but I was more than ready for the challenge.

"You look like you have this covered," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke remarked. "I'm proud of you, Yuri. You've come a long way in the two years since we first crossed paths. You've changed a lot from the young and bubbly girl I once knew back then."

"Thanks," I said with a small yet forced smile. "I'm going to find out the truth. I promise you that much. Cassidy's murderer won't be getting away with this. I'll be sure to put them in prison no matter what. Nobody will be able to escape the wrath of Yuri Rinko."

**July 19**

**Prosecutor's Office**

**4:00 PM**

**Niamh Wood**

I was sitting in my office as the afternoon minutes passed by. I stared down at my feet, which were perched underneath my desk. My heart was pounding with anticipation in my chest, though I'd never admit that to anyone. I was a little bit nervous, in case it wasn't already obvious.

Apparently, a murder had taken place at a carnival in town. I didn't know the details quite yet, but apparently, it was going to be my ticket to gaining a strong reputation in the office. An older prosecutor had asked me to work with her for the time being. I didn't even know her name. In fact, it was Mo—erm, Prosecutor Lin who delivered the news to me. I would have to ask her again if I wanted a name. However, for some reason, she wasn't answering my calls. I couldn't say why. The last time I had seen her was this morning. She went out on business and told me that if any cases came in today, I could expect to be placed on them since another prosecutor wanted to work with me for a little while.

A knock at the door made me jump. I looked up to see a woman coming in. She had auburn hair that fell down to her waist. On either side of her head, there was a section in a small braid. She was wearing a black suit jacket over a deep indigo shirt. She had navy leggings on as well. Her shoes were black flats that sat on top of black tights. Black gloves were on her hands. They reached halfway up to her elbow.

"You must be Niamh Wood," the woman smiled. As she walked a little bit closer, I noticed a Prosecutor's Badge was pinned to her suit jacket. She extended one hand. Her azure eyes met mine. "My name is Amy Kalles. I'm the prosecutor who requested to work with you."

"H-Hi..." I stammered quietly. I wasn't exactly the best with other people. I never had been. I couldn't exactly say why. I just knew well that human interaction wasn't my strong suit. I always got really worked up when meeting someone new. However, there seemed to be an air of calm about Prosecutor Kalles. It made me relax a little bit, but the amount of tension that was released from my shoulders wasn't much.

"Have you heard about the murder that took place at the carnival this morning?" she asked of me after we had shaken hands. "That's the case that we're going to be taking on."

I nodded slowly. "I know a little bit about it... Like I know it was at a carnival... That's about it though," I admitted nervously. Man, I probably looked so stupid! I was fourteen, and I was still getting so intimidated by meeting somebody new! This could not be normal!

"That's alright," Prosecutor Kalles smiled. "Don't worry. I'd be glad to fill you in on what happened. I already have the autopsy report, in case you want it. You can look at it while we're on the way to the carnival. You probably know how important something like that is to a murder investigation."

"I do," I assured her. I was trying to avoid talking for the time being. Part of me was a bit suspicious that somebody like this would randomly want to work with me. After all, I hadn't ever taken on cases with people aside from Chief Prosecutor Bespoke and Prosecutor Lin. In fact, it was because I wasn't used to working with other people that I dropped out of the murder on the lake in late May. I was too scared to work alongside another prosecutor.

However, I was determined to stand my ground this time around. I wasn't going to let my nerves get the better of me. I was going to take on a case with somebody new, and I was going to do well on it! It would be a piece of cake! After all, Prosecutor Kalles had to have some sort of faith in me if she was willing to take on a big investigation like this one with me. Murder cases are no joke. They're incredibly intense. In a way, thinking that she trusted me like this made me a bit happier than I had been before. Granted, I was still incredibly nervous, but it was at least a start.

Prosecutor Kalles gestured for me to follow her. "It's in my office. I can explain the case in more detail while we're on our way. The whole incident is something rather peculiar, to say the least. The basics show that the victim is one Cassidy Rinko. She was stabbed to death at a nearby carnival passing through town. Her body was found badly burned and barely recognizable. Apparently, the Ferris wheel exploded while she was on it, so if the stabbing hadn't already killed her, the burn wounds most certainly would have. The whole crime scene is a mess of debris and glass shards. It's difficult to navigate at best," she told me as we entered her office. She picked up a file from the surface of her desk and handed it over to me.

"C-Cassidy? Stabbed?" I echoed. I hadn't been super close with Cassidy, but I had seen her a few times at school and around the office. She worked a lot alongside Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. It seemed so unreal to me that she could really be gone... The stabbing just made things even worse... I was already sick to my stomach just thinking about it...

"I'm afraid so. However, I can allow her to rest in peace soon. You can help me on it too. If we find the killer who ended her life, she'll be able to be put to rest. Murder is an awful way to die. I don't want her to be in eternal pain in whatever afterlife exists because of the way she died," Prosecutor Kalles said, staring out the window of her office. When she looked back to me, she let out a gasp. "Niamh? Are you feeling alright? You've grown awfully pale all of a sudden. You're even shaking a little bit..."

I looked down at my hand to see if she was right. Sure enough, she was. I let out a small sigh, hoping that my voice wouldn't tremble. "Sorry. I'm just... I'm not the best with stabbing cases..." I admitted. I hadn't wanted to do this. If other prosecutors knew about my weaknesses involving sharp objects, they'd ridicule me for sure... Prosecutor Bloom was already intense without knowing about my fears. I didn't need her to have any other reason to make me feel awful. I didn't want a repeat of the high school. Going there was miserable enough as it was. I didn't need work to be hell for me on top of that.

Prosecutor Kalles, lucky for me, didn't respond negatively at all. Instead, she placed a supportive hand on my shoulder. "It'll be alright. If you want, I can investigate the crime scene while you talk to witnesses once we arrive. Does that sound good to you? I don't want you having panic attacks or passing out on me. Sora would never forgive me for it." She let out a laugh, obviously trying to make me feel at ease. "That should make things easier as well. We'll cover twice the amount of ground in the same amount of time. It's rather productive, wouldn't you say?"

I felt my shoulders relax a bit more. "Sounds good," I smiled. Even if I hadn't known her for very long, I was already getting the feeling that this case wouldn't be too bad after all. Before, I had only worked with Chief Prosecutor Bespoke and Prosecutor Lin, but Prosecutor Kalles seemed rather nice too. She was patient enough to stay by my side despite my shortcomings. She was even being nice about my fear of knives! This case was already going better than I'd expected!

"Alright. Let's head down to the crime scene. We have some investigating to do. Even if it's a bit later in the afternoon, the trial is still taking place tomorrow, so we'll need to be prepared," Prosecutor Kalles told me. "We can drop by the detention center a little bit later too. I feel it would be beneficial to our investigation." I nodded. She took my hand and led me out of the room. I was already a little bit excited to get to the bottom of this. I had to for Cassidy's sake, and for once, I was actually a little bit ready.

**July 19**

**Detention Center**

**4:15 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

When we arrived down at the detention center, I only had a small understanding of the case at hand. Yuri had explained what she knew on the car ride over here. The deceased was her older sister, Cassidy Rinko. She had been stabbed before being caught up in an explosion. The crime took place at a nearby carnival that was in town for the summer, though we didn't know the name of it yet. The Ferris wheel had been turned into a pile of rubble thanks to the bomb that was planted on the center of it at some point recently. Apparently, she had heard all of this from 'Chief Prosecutor Bespoke' and 'Prosecutor Lin'. I hadn't talked extensively with either one of them before, but I was willing to trust Yuri's judgement when she said they were reliable and trustworthy sources. They had also told her who the suspect was, though I wasn't aware of that information yet. Yuri kept on telling me to wait and see each time I asked in the car to the detention center.

"Hello, Yuri. You too, Deirdre."

I gasped when a guard walked in our client. To my shock, it was none other than Mr. Morix. "You're the suspect?" I asked in surprise. "I knew that you weren't at work today, but I never anticipated it was because you were arrested as a suspect for murder..."

"I didn't expect this either," Mr. Morix admitted. "I only planned to go to the carnival to talk to someone, but... I guess that plan has crumbled now." He laughed for a moment, but it didn't take a genius to be able to tell that he was faking it. Looking a bit closer, I saw a few tear stains on his cheek. His eyes were rather puffy as well. I supposed that even the boss I had known to be strong since starting my work under him had a few weaknesses, not that I could blame him. This situation wasn't exactly a pleasant one. Not only was he under arrest on suspicion of murder, but the victim had been one of his friends. That could very easily get to anyone, especially in a negative environment like the detention center.

"So... What exactly happened?" Yuri asked. I suspected she was quicker than usual to get to the point since she wanted to know who killed her sister, which was completely normal. "I didn't even realize that you and Cassidy were going to the carnival today. It seems really weird, especially considering the fact that it's a work day today. You even came into the agency this morning before taking off. Were you just going there for your lunch break or something?" Under any other circumstances, I would have expected that to be some sort of joke, but I could tell by the serious aura surrounding Yuri that she just wanted to get to the bottom of this and close this case as soon as possible.

"I went with Cassidy, Sora, Ghastly, Polly, and Chrysalis to the local carnival this morning. We planned this a few days ago. We were going to have a fun meet up when we were all available. Ghastly, Sora, and Polly all took the day off. Chrysalis and I decided to leave and then come back in the afternoon after we were finished up at the carnival. Cassidy was somewhere else in the carnival when we arrived though, but we didn't quite know where. She had arrived earlier on. I sent her a call to see where she was. She told me that she was over by the Ferris wheel. I told the others that I was going to get her and come back. Cassidy never had the best sense of direction, so she didn't know where to go. I was on my way there when I heard the explosion on the Ferris wheel. Debris went flying everywhere. I heard a scream from the general direction of the Ferris wheel. A small remote landed at my feet. Instinctively, I reached down and picked it up..." Mr. Morix cringed and shook his head. "That was a mistake. I had just picked up the device used to make the Ferris wheel blow up in the first place. Since I didn't really have an alibi for the time of the explosion due to my departure from the group, I was already a suspect. My fingerprints being on the remote was just the icing on top of the cake. The police instantly thought that I was really suspicious and may have killed Cassidy. I don't know if they had a motive in mind at the time of my arrest, but they still thought that it was enough to make me dangerous."

I frowned. "That's going to be hard to worm our way out of," I remarked. "What else happened? Was there anything else of note going on at the time? I don't know any details regarding the case. I don't think Yuri knows much of anything either. She only heard that her sister was the victim and you were the one suspected of killing her... Oh, also, do you know who called the police? I feel like that could be a useful little piece of information to have up our sleeve for the trial."

"I called them," Mr. Morix replied. "I was thinking that the scream had been somebody getting hurt, but I wasn't able to get into the Ferris wheel to see what was going on. The area surrounding it was practically covered with glass and concrete from the explosion. I didn't want to risk getting severely injured by going into the fiery mess surrounding the ride. I believe that scream came from Cassidy. Apparently, she was the only one on the ride at the time. When I was on the phone with her not long before, she said she was going to get on it to get a better view of the carnival from above. Her body was badly burned to the point that it couldn't be recognized by any sort of test. However, it was able to be identified thanks to a small piece of evidence. Cassidy's wallet had survived the full force of the blast. Her student ID was in good enough shape for us to figure that she was the one who died. After all, how would the ID have gotten there if she wasn't the one who died in the explosion on the Ferris wheel?"

"I see..." I murmured. "Is there anything else important you think we should know about the case? We're headed to the crime scene after this to see if we can learn more about the murder. What about witnesses?"

"Will Prosecutor Lin be testifying in court? What about Chief Prosecutor Bespoke? Or Prosecutor Burke? Or Chrysalis?" Yuri asked.

"As far as what I saw, there wasn't anything else important," Mr. Morix told me. "For witnesses, there is one I can think of, and it's nobody you mentioned. There was one person that I saw while calling the police. The area around the Ferris wheel was mostly deserted, but there was one young girl standing nearby. You guys might recognize the name. She was the suspect in the last case taken on by our agency back in late May. Lily and Chrysalis defended her. Do you remember Neptune Mercure by any chance?"

"She's the witness?" Yuri asked. "Wow. I didn't expect that... Does that sound like it? Do you have anything else to tell us about the murder?"

"I don't think so," Mr. Morix said. "You should head on down to the carnival. It's called Happy House Carnival. The place wasn't very crowded this morning, but I bet it's swamped now since the police need to figure out what's happened there. You can probably get in if you tell the guards near the entrance that you're defending me in court tomorrow."

"Thank you for telling us all this, Mr. Morix," I told him with a nod. "We'll be sure to get you a not guilty verdict in court. I'm sure that you'll be home before you know it. I'm faithful that we can pull this off. It's just a matter of time before you're freed."

"I know I will be too," he smiled, though I could tell easily that he was trying to hide his exhaustion. "Good luck in the investigation. I'll see you all tomorrow."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually got on a computer today. Nice.
> 
> I really don't have anything to say here aside from FEH is weird. I went ages on a banner, worked up to a 4.75% pity rate, and then got three five star units in one circle. Wow. 
> 
> -Digital


	32. The Festive Turnabout, Part 2

**July 19**

**Happy House Carnival**

**4:30 PM**

**Niamh Wood**

I was loitering around near the entrance to the carnival after we arrived. The one and only witness of note for this case (at least the only one testifying) was still being interrogated by the police, so I couldn't do much of anything. As irritating as it was that I was basically useless, I was using this time to clear my head. I was still getting used to taking on a case with somebody I didn't know very well. I was praying to whatever higher power was out there that my anxiety wouldn't end up being an issue later on. I didn't want to randomly snap during the case because of anxiety.

I simply couldn't go to the crime scene due to the method the murder was executed. I always got light headed when I saw a knife. It had been this way for quite some time now. I wouldn't be able to randomly get over it just for this case. I'd only end up placing undue stress on myself, which would make me even more prone to anxious breakdown. I was just going to need to avoid the crime scene and keep from looking at the photos of the body. I didn't want to pass out. That would make me even less useful than a bump on a pickle.

A car came driving up not long after. I let out a small gasp and got to my feet. I saw two people clamber out of the vehicle, one on the taller side and the other one about as short as Anton. I wasn't entirely sure who they were, but I would find out soon enough. Part of me was hoping that it would be a police officer here to bring back the witness, but the car didn't have the decals of red and blue, so it was just somebody else. I took a few steps closer to investigate who had come.

I didn't recognize the older person, but the younger one was Cassidy's younger sister, Yuri. I waved to her shyly. We were in the same grade at school, so we saw each other in the hallways a few times a day when classes were in session. Yuri waved back and gestured for me to come over. I did so, twirling the edges of my braids between my fingers as I did. Okay, Niamh. You got this. There's no need to worry. Just go over there, talk to them, and then go and find Prosecutor Kalles. We'll need to talk to the witness for a little bit later on.

"Hey there, Niamh!" Yuri chirped. I could tell that she was holding back sadness, not that I blamed her. The deceased was her older sister. That would rattle anybody to their core. "I didn't expect to see you around here. Are you the prosecutor on this case?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah... I'm working with an older prosecutor on this one," I explained quietly, not wanting to meet her eyes. I could feel the anxiety bubbling up inside of me, so I tried to silence it by staring down at my toes.

"I'm glad to see a familiar face around here, honestly," Yuri admitted with an awkward but forced smile. "Deirdre and I didn't think we'd be running into somebody we knew well. Oh! Speaking of Deirdre, I don't think you two have met. Niamh, this is Deirdre Brigit. She's one of the newer coworkers down at the agency. You've already met Lily because of the murder back in May, but I don't think you two have crossed paths before. She and I are working together on this case to figure out who really killed my sister. I'm not going to be letting them get away. Deirdre defended me when I was a suspect for murder a few months ago. She's somebody I trust enough to help us figure out what really happened. I know that you'll be able to help us out too. You're a good kid, even if you're quiet and we don't talk much. Well... Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. Are you going to try to help us out in finding the real killer? I hope so, at the very least..."

"Of course!" I cried, hoping my voice wasn't going to shake. "I'm not just going to let Cassidy's murderer get away. I didn't know her very well, but it goes against my morals to let somebody's death go unsolved when we can figure out the truth. I have faith that I can pull it off with Prosecutor Kalles. She's apparently pretty good at what she does, if Prosecutor Lin is to be believed. I haven't ever heard of her before, but I think that I can trust Prosecutor Lin's judgement on the matter since she's been at the Prosecutor's Office longer than I have."

"Where is she, by the way?" Ms. Brigit asked, glancing around with a small frown. "I don't see her around here. Is she already inside of the carnival? Also, if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside investigating? It wouldn't do anyone much good if one of the two prosecutors on the case didn't know much about the murder."

"Oh... Well... I can't exactly investigate the body," I admitted sheepishly, pink tinting my cheeks. "I'm waiting for the police officers to arrive with the witness. They're questioning her right now to hear more about what she saw this morning. We can't exactly talk to her if the police are interrogating her though, so I'm camping out around here while I wait for her to come back. Prosecutor Kalles and I can talk to her again after she comes back here."

"I see... Do you think you'd be able to show us where the murder took place at least? We need to do investigating of our own if we're going to be ready for the trial tomorrow. I can't believe they're holding it so soon. Even if our legal system is a bit on the intense side, it seems odd that they'd still have the trial tomorrow. The investigation from the police didn't get started until late in the afternoon... Then again, trying to understand law can be a bit of a pain in the neck at times," sighed Yuri.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to lead you there... I heard that it's a bit on the messy side though. While I haven't actually been there myself, I've heard quite a bit about it from Prosecutor Kalles, but I'm afraid I don't know the details," I said. I was hoping that I didn't come off as weak because of this. I didn't want to come off as a scared little child. I already knew I looked like that at the high school. I didn't need people thinking the same of me when I was at work. Just the thought turned my stomach to knots.

"Okay! Thank you!" Yuri exclaimed. She rushed forwards and wrapped her arms around me in a sudden hug. My shoulders went tight and tense. I had never been the best with physical contact. It had been this way as long as I could remember. The fact that there was no warning only made it worse. It took me a few seconds to relax, but by that time, she had pulled back and was looking into my eyes again. "I heard that it was at the Ferris wheel. Isn't that usually near the back of a carnival?"

"Yes... The crime scene is messy specifically because of that. The Ferris wheel was blown up thanks to a bomb stationed at the center of the wheel. It was thought to be just a mass of wires used to keep the center stable at first. Since the Ferris wheel isn't staying around forever due to the carnival traveling, it has a lot of wires near the middle to keep things safe and stable. The actual bomb part was facing away from the main segment of the festival. The Ferris wheel was the far border of the area," I explained. "It marked where the carnival ended. Nobody aside from high-ranking employees was allowed back there, so it was a good place to hide a bomb."

"I bet that there's debris everywhere. It isn't like you can keep a blast site like that clean," Yuri cringed. "It's easy to see why it would be a bit of a mess... What's the whole deal with the body? Was it found at the center of the debris? I don't know any of the details... I bet that it's at the bottom since it was definitely in a car of the ride before the murder took place."

"Yeah. That's what I've heard, at the very least," I told her as we started walking. "I don't really want to get too close... I-I don't really respond well to knives, so I'm staying away so long as I have the choice... Once we get closer, then I can leave you with Prosecutor Kalles. I can come back here to wait for the witness to come back. Does that sound alright with you?" I didn't honestly know why I asked that. I wasn't going to be able to stick around anyways, so why ask about it in the first place? I guess that's just my nerves showing themselves...

"What sort of bomb was used to cause such a large explosion? Anything that was able to topple an entire Ferris wheel, temporary or otherwise, must be incredibly powerful. I heard from our client that a remote was used to detonate it. His prints were found on it, if I recall correctly," Ms. Brigit cut in. "He didn't tell us exactly what kind it was, so I assume that he didn't know. You've done a bit more investigating, even if you haven't been at the crime scene, so you must have something to tell us, yes?"

"I don't know what specific type it was," I admitted. "Then again, I'm no professional bomb squad member... I just heard that it was on the smaller side, but despite being small, it is pretty strong and effective. While not able to topple a building or anything since it is so tiny, a Ferris wheel connected at one central post was no problem. All the cars connected to the Ferris wheel fell along with it. A fire started shortly after the bomb went off due to a few wires being cut by falling debris. The body was burned badly, so badly that the body couldn't even be identified upon sight. DNA tests didn't work very well either. In fact, the lead detective wasn't able to figure out who it was until they came across an ID that had managed to escape the full force of the blast. It was what tipped us off that the body belonged to Cassidy... I'm sorry to say it, but there's not exactly very much left of her..." My eyes caught my feet, hoping that I wouldn't make Yuri too sad by mentioning this.

"It's alright," Yuri told me, though I knew she was faking it. "I can worry about that when we get there... Speaking of, it seems like we're pretty much at our destination. Perhaps it's time for you to look away. I don't want you throwing up or anything. I remember the last time somebody showed you a sharp object at school. You were out in five seconds flat. We don't want to repeat that. Thanks for showing us here though. It means a lot to me."

"No problem," I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. Now that we were here though, it was time for me to head on back to the front segment of the park. The witness could arrive any minute now. Plus, I was starting to feel a bit useless since I wasn't able to look into the matter of the dead body. Even if there wasn't much left of it, I wasn't going to take any chances. I didn't want to pass out or anything like that. I'd never be able to do my job if I was unconscious.

"Hey... Um, are we in the right place?"

I turned upon hearing a voice from behind me. Standing nearby were two people. One of them was an older woman I recognized as a detective. The other one was the defendant from the case back in May. In other words, the witness had arrived while I was away for a few minutes. I guess that's just how my luck works. The universe hates me as usual. I don't know why I would have ever expected anything to be any different today regardless of if I was feeling a little bit more confident or not.

"So you've finally arrived," Prosecutor Kalles said with a smile as she walked closer. "Hello, detective. Hi, Niamh." She waved to me briefly before turning to look at Ms. Brigit and Yuri. "You must be the attorneys on this case. My name is Amy Kalles. I'm the assisting prosecutor on this case. I take it that you've already met Niamh, my coworker. It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled and extended hand out for a shake. Ms. Brigit accepted it with a nod and a small but professional smile.

It took a moment before her words sunk into my head. "Wait... You're the assisting prosecutor on the case? Does that mean I'm the lead?" I asked, feeling my face go pale. My eyes were wide instantly. I didn't expect this at all! I thought that I was going to be helping her! I was under the impression that I was just going to be learning from the sidelines, not actually putting in much work! I felt my heart skip a beat in my chest. This wasn't going to go very well...

"It's alright. I believe in you," Prosecutor Kalles smiled to me. Before the attention could entirely shift onto me, she changed the subject. "So, I believe that we have a few important things to discuss. First and foremost, how has the investigation been going down at the police station, detective?"

"Rather well, love," the detective said. I didn't know her name, but I was too afraid to ask out of fear that I'd come off as rude or something. "However, we haven't been able to come up with any sort of motive as to why the defendant would possibly want the victim dead. As far as we are aware, the two of them are close friends and would never wish to harm one another. It will take some serious digging to hear about any plausible reason that he would try to have her killed, especially in such a gruesome and over the top manner. You don't see successful bombings very often nowadays. The police have been getting on top of the attempted explosions recently, so it's not normal to see one actually work. We do wonder how he managed to avoid suspicion though. After all, it isn't easy to plant a bomb anywhere, much less a public place surrounded by countless people. On top of that, a Ferris wheel is difficult to access. Planting an explosive at the center of it would be quite a feat, to say the least, if not somewhere near impossible."

"We can figure out how he did that soon enough. I'm sure of it, Detective Wattson," Prosecutor Kalles assured her. "However, first, we should look into the body a bit more. Do you happen to have any extra copies of the autopsy report on hand? As far as I am aware, the defense just arrived, so they don't know much about the case at hand. An autopsy report would be a good place to start, especially considering the fact that they're already here at the crime scene. I gave my only duplicate to Niamh before we came over here, I'm afraid."

That reminded me that I had been completely avoiding the autopsy report this entire time. Ever since Prosecutor Kalles had given it to me, I had been trying my best to ignore that it was there. I was too afraid that I'd overreact if it had any gruesome details involving the stabbing. Even if such details had never happened in my experience as a prosecutor, I was far too nervous. Just thinking about it made my stomach toss and turn violently enough to make me feel dizzy and sick.

However, I couldn't put it off any longer. I sifted through the stack of files I had been keeping in my evidence bag draped over my shoulder and pulled it out. I gulped and stared at the surface for a moment, still not wanting to open it. I took a deep breath and forced my fingers to pry the side open to show the front page of the report for me to read:

_Name: Cassidy Rinko_

_Age: 16_

_Gender: Female_

_Cause of Death: Single stab wound to chest area not far from heart_

_Time of Death: 11:05 AM_

_Other: Victim was badly burned until death due to explosion on Ferris wheel she was riding. Body was nearly unidentifiable due to severe burn wounds_

_~ Jasper Kent_

"I have a few other copies, yes," Detective Wattson told Prosecutor Kalles as I hurriedly shut the report. There hadn't been any gruesome details in there, but I still didn't really want to look at it for any longer than I had to. I took another deep breath, happy that I had managed to survive without panicking in any form. It was an accomplishment for me, even if it was a small one. While I was recovering, Detective Wattson produced another copy of the autopsy report, which she handed over to the defense team. "As you can see, the explosion really did a number on her. It's nearly impossible to get a good DNA sample at this point due to the severe burn wounds. If not for the ID that was found on the ground nearby, we never would have been able to figure out who it was that had died." The detective did a bit more digging through her evidence before showing us a bag. Inside was a charred driver's license. A name and picture could be made out, though not very well. "It didn't come out completely undamaged, but it is in better shape than the body, as I'm sure you can guess. It was a real lifesaver in the end though."

"Where is the body?" Yuri asked. "I don't see anything that looks notably dead around here... Is the body under debris or something? There was a huge explosion when she died, so it wouldn't be completely surprising to see that it was buried under glass shards and other pieces of garbage from the big blast of the bomb."

"Actually, no. The body was buried under the burning debris when it was first found, but we've since managed to dig it out. The forensics team has since taken the body away to be tested. I doubt their results will bear much fruit, but it's worth an attempt in my eyes," Detective Wattson explained. "I do have a photo of the body from when it was found though." She pulled out a set of photos from her stack of evidence and handed one to everybody present. I didn't let my gaze fall on it. Instead, I shoved into the autopsy report. There was definitely a knife in that picture that I didn't want to see. I had been doing so well so far. I wasn't going to fail this now.

"Hey... There's something in this picture," Yuri frowned. She pointed on the photo to a section near the top right. "Is that... It looks like a crumpled up piece of paper. Did you guys figure out what this was? The paper looks a bit too flimsy to be the ID that you used to identify the body. Plus, it's way too big to ever be a driver's license."

"As a matter of fact, we did figure out what it was," Detective Wattson told her. "It was a photo that was rather important in a case back in May. If you remember the drowning case from the lake, there was a picture found at the scene of the murder. Said photo ended up being the final crucial piece of evidence that pinned the crime on the real killer. Another copy of it was found right next to the body. It was a bit singed, but it still escaped the full force of the blast by some miracle." She pulled out a piece of paper for what seemed like the thousandth time and handed it to the defense. I found myself crowding over to them, wanting to see what it was about. It didn't take me very long to recognize it. Chrysalis and Ms. Shield had been using it in the drowning case back in May, just as Detective Wattson said. There were eight or so people on it, two of them being Prosecutor Lin and Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. Another pair of figures happened to be Cassidy and her sister, Venus. Just thinking about them made a shiver run up my spine. It was so strange to think that they had been alive and well, only to be murdered out of the blue...

"I remember that from the case not long ago, yes," Prosecutor Kalles frowned, placing one hand on her chin. I guessed that she had been in the gallery when the trial was going on, just like I had. I mean, that was the only explanation I could think of since she wasn't assigned to the case. "It seems peculiar that it has returned though. I don't know why it would be here at an amusement park of all places. Unless somebody brought it along with them, it seems unlikely that it would end up here. Do you know where it came from? I feel this will end up being a rather important aspect of this case. Call it mere instinct as of now, but I don't want to let it slide just to be on the safe side."

"We got the driver's license of the victim from her wallet. It was rather severely burned, but we were able to get a few more things out of it. Like I said, we managed to salvage her driver's license, which helped to identify the body. There were a few dollar bills found inside as well. There were ponytails, a thing of chapstick... However, the most notable thing was that picture. It fell out due to the explosion. The wallet was blasted open and the photo was blown out by the wind not long after," Detective Wattson explained.

"I see... I guess that makes sense... I just wonder what significance it will hold. If it's like the case from May, it may end up playing a pivotal role in the case later on. It leaves me a bit unsettled. I don't know how else to describe it," frowned Prosecutor Kalles. "Do you know why the victim would want to carry something like this around with her? Does the photo bear any significance in her life?"

"I heard that it was taken during a murder case two years ago. Of course, the group of people in this picture aren't exactly together anymore. The victim is in this picture, obviously, and she's now gone from this world. Her older sister, Venus Rinko, is also present, but she was killed earlier this year. On top of that, one of the other people in the picture has gone missing and hasn't been seen in years. As of right now, his status is unknown. None can say where he disappeared to following the murder case. He could easily be dead, but if he is, there has not yet been a body discovered. On the other hand, if he is alive, nobody can say for sure since he's been gone for so long. This photo is the last known placement of him, but even so, it was a long time ago. Not even the people closest to him have any idea what happened to him," Detective Wattson continued. "This murder seemed to be an important moment for quite a few reasons. First and foremost, if the rumors are to be believed, this murder case was the start of the Oracle of the Law project. I think that it was mentioned by Occisor during a trial earlier on this year. On top of that, we've already gotten confirmation that one of the people in this picture was involved with Oracle thanks to another murder. I'm sure that you heard about what happened with Venus Rinko back in February, back when she was murdered. We learned she was involved with the Oracle somehow."

"I remember that," Yuri nodded. "I had no idea that she had anything to do with Oracle up until that point. It was a real shock, to say the least... But I don't understand how you think that could be relevant. I don't think that this picture could imply that anybody else has something to do with Oracle. That would be a bit crazy." She looked to Detective Wattson, who had a frown on her face as she stared down at the ground. "Please don't tell me that you think this picture has something to do with Oracle..."

"It may, love," Detective Wattson nodded. "I can't say for sure. Of course, it could just be coincidence, but if it isn't, this picture could be very important to determining the identity of Oracle. I don't exactly have evidence that the victim had something to do with Oracle or anything like that, but it could be something to look into. I won't be doing anything of the sort though. I'm not exactly the most interested in the matter. I should perhaps leave the deep theorizing on the matter to those with a bit more knowledge regarding Oracle."

"Do you think that we'd be able to keep this photo? Since it's in relatively high quality, I take it that it's a copy," Ms. Brigit said. She continued to look down at the picture for a moment or two longer before meeting Detective Wattson's eyes. "Of course, we'll only keep it if you're alright with that. I think that it could end up being vital in the near future. As Prosecutor Kalles mentioned before, I want to be on the safe side and make sure that we have all our bases covered before we go into the trial tomorrow."

"That's fine with me, love," the detective nodded. "I have a few copies on hand anyways. However, I'm afraid that I can't stay for much longer. I came here to deliver a few messages to the prosecution regarding the case at hand. We'll have to go to a separate area to speak. In the meantime, feel free to investigate and speak with the witness." She gestured to the young woman beside her, who had been completely silent up until this point. I had almost forgotten that she was even there... "This is Neptune Mercure. Neptune, this is the defense team. Feel free to share with them what you saw the day of the murder. I'm sure that they'll find any pieces of information you can give them helpful. I'm going to go to another part of the amusement park to talk a little bit more with the prosecution. Just come and find me should you need anything. I'll be back in the blink of an eye, alright?" She gave the young woman a small pat on the shoulder before turning on her heel and starting to walk away.

"It was nice meeting you," smiled Prosecutor Kalles to Ms. Brigit and Yuri. "I look forward to seeing you in the trial tomorrow. I have faith that you'll be strong opponents in the battlefield that is courtrooms and logic. Until then, I hope that you'll be able to stay out of trouble. Make sure that your client ends up alright as well. Cotoli and I go way back. I won't tolerate anything other than your best when you take him into court tomorrow. I'll see you later." She turned around, waving to them as she did so. She disappeared from sight not long after.

I bowed briefly to Ms. Brigit and Yuri. They both waved in return. I was a bit curious about what Prosecutor Kalles meant when she said that she and the defendant 'went way back'. I could ask her about it later. I had to go and see what she and Detective Wattson were talking about. Since I was (apparently) the lead prosecutor on this case, I couldn't afford to miss out on any crucial information. That would just be a recipe for disaster, and I was definitely not about something like that.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't have much to say here, but that doesn't make it different from any of my other author's notes.
> 
> -Digital


	33. The Festive Turnabout, Part 3

**July 19**

**Happy House Carnival**

**5:00 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

"It looks like we're going to be able to get most of our investigating done now," I said. "I guess that we can do our best to start it at least. I don't know how much we'll be able to get done. We're on a bit of a time crunch. We're going to have to rely on the opening statement tomorrow as well as testimony from Detective Wattson giving us information that we can use in the trial. I still think that we can win this thought. I know for sure that Mr. Morix wouldn't kill anyone."

"Let's get started then," Yuri nodded. "I'm not going to let the murderer get away with this. Nobody can do something like this to my sister and expect to get away with it. I don't even care that the crime scene is a mess. I'm going to make sure that her killer is caught, no matter who they are. What should we do first?"

"I guess that we could examine the area around the body," I suggested. "I don't know where else we would start off. Do you see anything of note left behind? I think that a majority of it was taken away when forensics came through the crime scene before. We won't have much to work with for now. It's all we can do until the witness is free for interrogation though. I hope that the prosecution doesn't take too long talking to her..."

"It'll be fine," Yuri assured me. "I don't see all that much around here, but I guess that a little bit more snooping wouldn't hurt... Wait! I think I found something!" She began to rummage through the pile of debris sitting before her. Rocks were sent flying in every direction. The smaller ones hurtled through the air before slamming against the ground a few feet away. I had to hold my arms up to my face to keep from getting hit by anything.

"What is it?" I asked, praying that she had found something. I doubted that we'd be able to find anything incredibly notable given the fact that forensics had already taken the body and the photo seen in the picture of the crime scene.

Yuri resurfaced not long after, holding a colorful hat in her hand. She handed it over to me. I looked at it with a frown. It had a small propeller on the top that was bright yellow in color. The rest of the hat had red and yellow stripes going down the sides. It looked like the sort of thing you'd see on a small child with a lollipop in some old movie.

"What in the world is that?" I questioned with wide eyes. Obviously, I already knew that it was a hat, but I couldn't figure out why it would be here. Sure, this is a carnival, but why would it be here? This was a murder scene! How would a hat like this end up with a body? As far as I was aware, nobody else had been caught up in the explosion that killed the victim, so this couldn't belong to another blast victim. However, if that was the case, how did it get here? I doubted the wind could have been able to pick it up, especially given how calm the weather was today.

"I wish I knew," Yuri muttered with a shake of her head. "I can't say though. It's a bit frustrating, but I guess we'll have to figure it out on our own. Do you know how to do that? I don't have a clue."

"Maybe one of the police officers on this case can tell us what it is," I suggested. "It has to have some relevance on this case if it was here with the body. I bet that it just didn't get taken by forensics since it was so well hidden. I'm impressed that you managed to see it underneath all those rocks. I didn't even notice it was there."

"It was bright yellow under a stack of gray rocks. It stuck out like a sore thumb. It's sort of beaten up, but it's still pretty colorful," Yuri said. She handed it to me. I examined it a bit more closely and realized it was covered in shards of concrete. Dust from the explosion practically covered it. It took roughly three swipes on each part of the hat for it to be cleared away.

"I wonder if this belonged to the killer. Either that, or it must belong to the victim. Do you know if she had a hat like this on her when she left this morning?" I asked of Yuri, handing it back to her.

"She never had anything like this. Cass hated hats. She said that they gave her headaches. I can't think of any reason that she'd want to have something like this," Yuri told me. "If you ask me, it must belong to the person that did this to her. I can't think of any other explanation."

"I'll keep that in mind. If this belongs to the killer, this could be our critical piece of evidence..." I murmured as Yuri turned over the hat to look inside it. I gasped and pointed to the inside of the hat. "Wait... Is that blood?"

Yuri looked into the hat for herself and nodded. "Yeah... It is blood. This definitely has something to do with the murder. I bet that the blood is Cassidy's, unless the killer or somebody else ended up getting hurt at the same time. I don't think there were any other victims of the blast, so I bet it's one of the first two. If somebody else had been hurt in this, we would have heard about it for sure," she remarked. "I guess we'll just have to dig a bit deeper into this case to figure out where all of this came from. It's going to be rough since we don't have much evidence to use, but we might as well give it a shot. I'm not letting the murderer get away. Cassidy deserves justice, even if she's gone now."

"Hey. Can we talk?"

I turned to see a young woman standing behind me. I recognized her as the defendant from the case back in May, Neptune Mercure. I guessed that she was finished talking with the prosecution. "I hear that you're going to be defending the suspect in this case," she said. "I figure that you'll want to hear about what I saw that day, right?"

"Please, tell us everything you know," Yuri begged. "Anything you can tell us will be useful. Well, unless you're going to tell us that the defendant definitely killed her, which would not only be unhelpful, but also wrong."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to say anything like that," Ms. Mercure assured her. "I don't know all that much about the case though, I'm afraid. This isn't like the case in May where Cassidy had exactly the right evidence and testimony to finger somebody as the culprit. I know just as much as anybody else who was here. I was just chosen as the representative to talk about in court tomorrow since I was with her beforehand."

"What happened that day? We heard that there was an explosion, but we don't know anything that happened around that time. You must be able to tell us something about that," Yuri said. I could tell that she was internally pleading with the universe to take pity on her and give us quality information on the case. I couldn't blame her. I was doing the same, though I'd never outwardly admit it.

"Sure. I came here this morning with Cassidy. She was supposed to be talking with the defendant and a few other people. I don't know what it was they were going to be discussing though. Cassidy wouldn't tell me but judging by the way that she was hiding things from me, I doubt that it was good," Ms. Mercure frowned. "If you ask me, something seriously wrong was bothering her."

"Do you know if there's any reason for anybody to want to kill her? Would it have something to do with what she was here to talk about today?" I asked. "If anybody would know about that, it would be you. Yuri here doesn't have the slightest idea what it could be, as far as I can tell."

"I don't have a clue. It's so frustrating. I just want to help out my sister, but it's sort of hard to do that when you don't know a thing about a potential motive," Yuri huffed. "Please, Neptune. You're our only hope. We need you now more than ever."

"I can't tell you much about it either. I'm afraid that I'm lacking in details as well," frowned Ms. Mercure. I could hear something in her tone. She was lying. I had always been talented in telling when people were lying. Ever since the case earlier this year when Yuri was arrested, I had been working to refine it further. My increased hearing hadn't helped much in her case, but I was determined to make it useful in future investigations, starting with this one.

The fact that she was lying concerned me. If she did know something, why hide it? Her close friend had been killed, but she was still trying to keep the truth hidden. Was the potential motive really so awful? I doubted I'd be able to force it from her here when there were no stakes, but it still bothered me. I could try and drag it out of her in court, but until then, we'd have to press a few other things out of her.

"Do you know of any potential motive that Mr. Morix would have? He and Cassidy have been friends for years. He defended her from murder charges back when she was fourteen," Yuri remarked. "I can't think of any reason that he would want to kill her. It makes no sense. If you ask me, somebody is certainly trying to frame him."

"I don't have anything in mind. I've never actually spoken to him. I've heard his name, but we haven't ever talked. I've met all his employees now, but never him," Ms. Mercure told us. "I'm not exactly the best person to ask about a motive for him. I apologize for that. However, I'll be glad to tell you about what I saw earlier today when the crime took place. I'm sure that you want to hear about it. It's incredibly important."

"Go right ahead," I nodded, crossing my arms. I could tell she was lying about having never spoken to Mr. Morix, which only served to perplex me further, but I didn't speak about it. I could craft theories later.

"When the blast went off, I was near the Ferris wheel. Cassidy was lost, so I was going there to make sure she was okay. After the explosion, I couldn't see anything. There was dust pretty much everywhere since I was so close. When I finally managed to stumble out of the cloud of dust, I could see the defendant. He was holding something in his hand. When I looked a bit closer, I realized that he was clutching the remote used to detonate the bomb," Ms. Mercure told us. "That's a bit incriminating, so it looks like you're going to have to do a bit of work to prove that he didn't do it, huh?"

"Great," Yuri groaned. "And here I thought maybe we'd finally be able to get a break. This sucks... But I guess there's nothing we can do to change it. The most we can do now is try our hardest to prove that Mr. Morix didn't do it. Is there anything you can tell us that will prove he's innocent? You're the only witness, at least to our knowledge, so you're our only hope." I saw her cross her fingers at her side as she met Ms. Mercure's gaze with pleading eyes.

"I don't know if I have any hard evidence, but maybe my lack of knowing a motive will help," Ms. Mercure offered. "I was pretty close with Cassidy, so if anybody aside from Yuri would know a motive, it would be me. However, I don't have any ideas. That has to count for something... At the very least, I can hope it does. I don't really know how the police work. I'm a private investigator, not a police officer."

"I wonder if Chrysalis would have any ideas for a potential motive. I know that the police are going to try and twist things around to show that he could have done it. If that means coming up with a motive that's completely out of character, they'll do it. However, if we can talk to the person Mr. Morix is closest with, perhaps we can use that to our advantage. If they try and work things to their advantage, we'll have backup in the form of her testimony. It'll keep him from getting into too much trouble over an impossible motive," Yuri suggested. "There is a bit of a problem with that though... I don't know about you guys, but I haven't seen her all day. Did she even show up for work this morning?"

I frowned. "Come to think of it, I can't remember if she was there at all. If she was, she would have left early on to come to the carnival with her brother. I believe somebody mentioned that she went with him. Maybe the police are questioning her. I would have expected her to jump at the chance to help defend her brother, but..." I placed one finger on my chin and closed my eyes in thought. "Did Prosecutor Lin or Chief Prosecutor Bespoke tell you where she was when they dropped by the agency this morning? I bet they're our best bet for figuring out where she is."

"They didn't, no," Yuri said. "I guess that the universe is just telling us we weren't meant to talk to her... As unfortunate as it is, we can't ask her anything without knowing where she is. I can try and call her, but I don't know if that will work." Yuri pulled out her phone and began dialing. She pressed it up to her cheek as I turned back to Ms. Mercure.

"Is there anything else you think we should know about the case?" I asked.

"Not off the top of my head," Ms. Mercure said. "However, it looks to me like there's something that you want to show me about the case." She gestured to the brightly-colored hat in my hand. "What is that? It looks messy, whatever it is..."

I handed it to her and frowned. "I'm afraid I'm not sure. I mean, it's quite clear that it's a hat, but I can't figure out its purpose or how it would get here. It was found in the rubble near the body with minimal damage, which seems suspicious to me. Nothing could survive a blast like that and only be covered in dust."

"You know, come to think of it, this hat actually looks a little bit familiar," Ms. Mercure remarked. She turned it over a little bit before letting out a gasp. "I remember! This hat is worn by employees here at the carnival. I think it's supposed to make them look a bit more festive and approachable by little kids, but I can't say for sure. I was never one for coming to festivals like this. They're expensive and seem to have an obsession with stealing your money. I was just here for Cassidy."

"I see... That means that somebody who works at the carnival was here in the area about the time that the murder took place. We can use that to our advantage for sure. If it belongs to the killer, then that means that it couldn't be Mr. Morix's. I somehow doubt that he has a side job at a carnival when he owns a law agency. The two professions don't exactly mix well, if you get what I mean," I told her. I took the hat back from Ms. Mercure before looking into it once again. "There's blood on the inside as well. Do you think it belongs to the victim?"

"It has to, if you ask me," Ms. Mercure told me. "I mean, I doubt that the killer was wounded really badly in the process of the crime. There would probably be more blood if that was the case. It all matches up too well for there to be another person bleeding. At the very least, that's my take on the matter. You might want to have forensics take another look at it before you say that for sure. You know what they say about making assumptions."

I nodded. "Yes, you make a good point. Do you know where Detective Wattson went off to? You were talking with her before you came to speak with us, right? Did she mention she was headed somewhere else?" I asked.

"I think she was headed back to the detention center after she was finished talking with the prosecution. I bet she wanted to talk to your client about the crime more. From what I can tell, the prosecution is still lacking in a motive. It'll take some digging from the detectives on the case to come up with something like that," Ms. Mercure responded. "Speaking of, are you going to head by and see him? I bet that visiting hours have been extended a little bit for his case since the investigation is still underway. You can definitely sneak in there before the prison closes them for the day."

"We were planning on going to talk to him. He wanted to hear more about the details of the case after we were finished with our investigation for the day," I told her. "Why do you ask? Do you want to come along or something?"

"No, not at all. I was just curious," Ms. Mercure assured me. Unlike before, when I could tell easily that she was lying, she was a bit more transparent right now. She was telling the truth. I was starting to get the feeling that Ms. Mercure would be a difficult character to figure out. She had been switching back and forth between lying and telling the truth ever since we met her. I didn't know how I was going to put up with her constant changes, but I was going to have to figure out something. We were going to have to question her in court if we wanted to free Mr. Morix from prison.

"We should head by and see them soon," Yuri advised. "The sooner that we go and talk to him, the sooner we can go back home. We're going to need rest if we're going to conquer this case. There's already quite a bit of evidence piling up against Mr. Morix, even if there isn't a motive. I bet that the prosecution can find a way to worm around that with witness testimony saying that he had the remote used to detonate the bomb. Plus, his prints were found on it... This is going to be a tough nut to crack."

"I agree," I nodded. I turned to Ms. Mercure and bowed my head gently. "Thank you for talking with us today. We'll see you in court tomorrow. Until then, have a good day."

"As to you," Ms. Mercure smiled. "Stay out of trouble. I already get the feeling that things aren't going to be getting any easier from here on out. I hope that you can find your friend."

"Oh, yeah," Yuri said, turning to me. "Chrysalis didn't pick up. I guess I'm not really surprised. When Chrysalis wants to hide something, including herself, she's very good at it. That's not the best thing for us, but I guess we'll just have to deal with it. I just hope Mr. Morix isn't too upset when he hears we haven't been able to find her. He's a bit protective of her, and that's probably putting it lightly..."

"We can explain the situation to him. I'm sure it'll be alright," I assured her. "We'll see you later, Ms. Mercure."

"Bye," she said simply. She turned on her heel and began to walk away. If it was at all possible, I had even more questions about this case than ever before, and it was all because of her. I didn't have a clue what her real motivations were, but whatever was going on, I got the feeling it wasn't good.

**July 19**

**Detention Center**

**5:55 PM**

**Cotoli Morix**

I had been growing used to the quiet that came with staying in the detention center when a guard came in and told me that it was time to head into the visiting area. Apparently, there was somebody here to see me. I could feel my heart jump inside my chest. I didn't get much human contact in here, so anything I got was welcomed with open arms.

When I was approached into the visiting room, I saw Deirdre handing off a bright object to Detective Wattson. The detective promptly nodded her way and left the room, leaving just Deirdre and Yuri standing on the other side of the glass. They pulled up chairs and sat down opposite me.

"What was that about?" I asked. "It looked like you were talking about something serious."

"We found a piece of evidence at the scene of the murder that was missed by the forensics team. We were just asking her to run a few tests on it since there was blood found on the inside," Deirdre explained. "Anyway, how are you doing?"

"I've certainly been better," I admitted. "The detention center has never been my favorite place in the world... How did the investigation go? Did you find anything that you could use to prove my innocence?"

"I'm afraid we haven't found solid proof yet," Yuri frowned. "But we do have one advantage! The prosecution can't think of a good motive for you to kill Cassidy. Without that, then their case is bound to crumble. You two were close friends. Why would you ever want to bring her harm? It makes no sense."

"I hope that they can't come up with anything," I sighed. "I already get the feeling that things aren't going very well. The evidence says that I touched the remote used to detonate the bomb on the Ferris wheel. I did, but it wasn't because I set it off... In fact... I think I have an idea as to how you can use that to your advantage..."

"How is that?" Deirdre asked eagerly, raising one eyebrow my way. I could tell that she wanted more than anything to hear what was on my mind, especially considering that it would help our case.

I glanced around with a frown. "I don't know if saying it is the best idea... The guards report directly to Prosecutor Kalles and Prosecutor Wood. However, I suspect that we can get by with it if we're quiet..." I leaned in near the glass and spoke again. "My fingerprints may be on the remote, but that can be used to help you prove my innocence. In order to set off a bomb with a switch like that, what do you need to do?"

"Hit a button obviously," Yuri remarked. "But how can we use that to show that you didn't do it? I don't get what you're saying..."

"Well, if you have to hit a button, that means that my prints would have to be on the button if I hit it. I never touched the button when I picked it up. I didn't know what it would do, so I left it alone. That means that you can keep the prosecution from using that against me. They can't prove that I pressed the button if my prints aren't on it. It's not like I could have used a glove to press the button either. After all, if my prints were on the rest of the remote, why use gloves just to push the button? It would be easier just to start off by using gloves and using them the entire time I was handling the remote," I explained. "This is one of those times where logic is incredibly helpful in the battlefield that is the courtroom."

"We can definitely use that!" Yuri grinned. "Thanks for telling us, Mr. Morix! Those prosecutors won't stand a chance against us when we tell them that!"

"Speaking of them, what do you know about them?" Deirdre asked. "I get the feeling that they're on the more friendly side, but I still can't entirely figure them out."

"Prosecutor Wood is the daughter of the chief prosecutor through adoption. Since Ghastly and I have been friends for years, she wouldn't be able to fully act against me without her parents getting upset, especially considering the fact that her adoptive mother is my little sister," I told them. "As for Prosecutor Kalles... We have something of a unique relationship. It's hard to fully explain it. We get along though."

"Can you at least try?" Yuri begged. "We need to know what we're up against."

"Prosecutor Kalles and I are friends. We've taken on a few cases against each other in the past. I've seen her in the past when I wasn't on the defense team as well. From what I can tell, she has a strong style of prosecuting. She's very justice-oriented. If she feels someone is guilty, she won't hold back and becomes a ferocious foe to combat. However, if she knows the accused is innocent, she will allow the defense to win so the accused will be freed," I told them. "She's a good person, even if she's a bit intimidating at first. Just... Avoid getting on her bad side. It's not fun to see her when she's upset or angry. It can be downright terrifying, if we're being perfectly honest here." I let out an awkward laugh.

"Thank you for telling us all of this," nodded Deirdre. "You know... Come to think of it, that might be the reason that they haven't put forth a motive yet. If Prosecutor Kalles is your friend and she feels you are innocent, then she's got to be on our side, going by what you've said so far."

"Even if she isn't the lead prosecutor on this case, she has seniority over Prosecutor Wood, so she's going to be calling some of the shots. However, she also thinks that I'm a good lawyer in the courtroom, so I doubt that she'll be going too easy on you. If she knows you can take the heat, she'll let you, but I doubt that she fully believes that I'm guilty. If things go incredibly sour and she fears a guilty verdict being passed, she'll pull back and allow you to get in a few strong points. It's the way she works."

"It sounds like we can count on her then," Yuri grinned. "Of course, we still can't let down our guard if we want to show that you are innocent without a shadow of a doubt. We're going to show who killed Cassidy no matter what. The killer won't be getting away with this. I refuse to let that happen."

"How are you holding up, by the way?" I asked of her. Cassidy was her sister. I knew that she had to be feeling some sort of emptiness deep down. Anybody would feel awful if their sister turned up dead after being fine just a few hours before.

"I'm okay," Yuri told me, but I knew she was lying. Yuri did her best to hide her negative emotions, no matter how hard it was on her. She complained occasionally about things that have no real impact on her life, but should something go seriously wrong, she bottles it up until she's alone. Previously, her sisters had helped her get everything out, but first Venus had died, and now Cassidy was gone...

"We should be heading home soon," Yuri said, cutting off my thoughts. "We'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Morix."

"Thank you for stopping by," I told them. "It gets lonely in here."

"I figured," Deirdre replied. "We'll see you in the morning though. We'll show that you didn't commit this crime. Whoever did this will be locked up in a matter of a few days. I promise you that much."

"I have faith in you," I smiled. The two girls waved and walked out, leaving me alone with just my thoughts once again.

I was worried about Yuri because of what happened to Cassidy. I felt sick just thinking that Cassidy was really gone. It didn't feel real. I trusted Deirdre and Yuri completely, but I couldn't help my feeling naturally worried about the verdict that was soon to come. My heart seemed to be doing nothing but pounding constantly. I wanted nothing more than to just go home... I hadn't seen Chrysalis yet, which was a bit worrying. I was sure that I'd be able to catch up with her at the trial. There was no way that she would miss it as my sister...

Only time would tell if things were going to get better, and I hated waiting to see how things would unfold.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got today off from school thanks to a snowstorm dumping six inches of snow right on the head of the Midwest. Nice.
> 
> So I'm going to get to type a bunch today. You know, assuming that I'm actually productive. We'll have to see what the chances of that actually are, but for now, take another chapter!
> 
> -Digital


	34. The Festive Turnabout, Part 4

**July 20**

**Defendant Lobby No. 5**

**9:30 AM**

**Lily Shield**

I arrived in the defendant lobby as early as I could bear. I hadn't wanted to get up this morning, but I felt like it was important to be here. When your boss is on trial for murder, it's probably a good idea to be there. I didn't want to miss it in case things went sour. Plus, I was really on edge about all of this. I wanted all the new information as soon as it came in!

The lobby was mostly empty when I arrived. Mr. Morix, Deirdre, and Yuri were the only people around. They were all huddled together in the corner. I walked up and waved. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "It looks pretty tense, whatever it is."

"We're talking about the case," explained Yuri. "Things are still sort of dark involving the case. The main plus is that the prosecution still doesn't seem to have a motive. Here's to hoping that Prosecutor Kalles can convince Niamh to cooperate with us..."

"I bet that we'd be able to have more of an idea regarding a potential motive if we could contact Chrysalis. Have you really not heard anything from her?" Deirdre asked Yuri.

"Not yet. I texted her at least five times yesterday, but it still hasn't worked. Maybe she's curled up in a hole somewhere. That wouldn't surprise me. Venus always said that she was prone to anxious episodes, especially when things went truly wrong. It really wouldn't surprise me if that applied here. For crying out loud, her brother is on trial for murder. Then again, you would expect her to at least show up for a minute or two..." Yuri let out a sigh. "There isn't anything we can do about it now though."

"You know, I saw Chrysalis yesterday. It was just before visiting hours ended at the detention center," Mr. Morix explained. "She swung by for a few minutes to talk to me. She said that she wasn't able to take the case, but she was going to be rooting you guys on. I bet that she's still at home right now."

"I guess that's better than her being hurt or anything. Wasn't she there at the carnival the day of the murder?" Deirdre questioned.

"She was. However, not much happened in her line of vision. I heard that the police let her go home just as soon as she arrived. It doesn't shock me that she's curled up in her room at home after hearing that I was in prison. Chrysalis and I have always been incredibly close, so this would have a strong negative impact on her," Mr. Morix went on.

"Do you have any idea about a potential motive then? That was what we wanted to ask her about," Yuri said.

"I still don't have anything. I've been trying to crack the code ever since my arrest. Cassidy and I have always gotten along very well. Ever since we met two years ago, we've gotten on fine. I don't even remember the last time that we might have had an argument or fight. Whatever the prosecution comes up with probably won't have much merit to it since we get along so well," Mr. Morix told her. "Maybe they'll try to make a case without it."

"I hope so. That'll automatically make their case weaker and easier to break. We know that you're innocent, so we might as well speed up the process of getting you out of the detention center," Deirdre cut in. "It'll be easier for all of us."

"Here's to hoping that Mr. Morix is right about Prosecutor Kalles being on our side. It'll be much easier to prove he's not guilty with her help," Yuri remarked, placing her hands on her hips. "Going with her rather than against her will certainly help us a lot."

"We'll just have to see," Deirdre said. "There's no way to say for sure until we arrive in there."

"The trial should be starting any minute now. We'll have to see which side is more favored early on. There's no way of saying for sure. After all, both sides have strong evidence to prove their points. The prosecution has my lack of an alibi and my fingerprints on the remote used to detonate the bomb. We have my lack of motive. Is there anything else we could use in there?" Mr. Morix asked.

"We have this brightly colored hat that was found in the rubble," Yuri remarked. "It has blood on the inside. We can probably use it to show that the murderer was someone who worked at the carnival and not you. Plus, we can back that claim up with the power of logic and reasoning. The judge will be unable to resist seeing our side of the argument."

"What sort of logic and reasoning?" I couldn't help but ask. I didn't know much about the case, so I was using this time to catch up on everything. I was probably going to need it to understand what was going on.

"It's all about the bomb. If Mr. Morix wasn't able to set up the bomb prior to the explosion, that easily eliminates him from the list of suspects. However, someone who works at the carnival would have more than enough time to set it up, especially considering that the section surrounding the Ferris wheel was nearly abandoned at the time of the crime," Deirdre explained.

I saw the purple-haired bailiff that had ushered me and Chrysalis into the trial on the lake nearby. He gestured for us to come into the courtroom. I nodded and turned to my companions. "It's time to go in. Good luck," I said to Deirdre and Yuri. They both nodded their thanks and headed to the courtroom. Mr. Morix and I trailed in a few feet behind them. I was hoping that things would end up going well. I was scared of what would happen if the trial went downhill.

**July 20**

**Courtroom No. 4**

**10:00 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

The judge for this trial ended up being Judge Frost, the female one from the case at the lake. I had seen her during that murder since I had been up in the gallery watching Lily and Chrysalis at work. She still seemed to be as intimidating as ever with that regal sense about her. She raised her gavel and hit it against the podium, instantly commanding the respect of everyone present. All conversation was silenced immediately. "Court is now in session for the trial of Cotoli Morix," Judge Frost announced. "Are the prosecution and defense ready?"

"The prosecution is ready," came the voice of Prosecutor Wood from the other side of the courtroom. I could have sworn that I saw her shaking, though I couldn't say for sure. What I was positive about was that her voice was trembling. It didn't take a genius of psychology to see that she was frightened, likely about being here in court. I couldn't blame her. It could be a bit nerve-wracking, especially if it's one of your first times.

"The defense is also ready," I said next with a small but firm nod. I was more than prepared for this trial to begin so we could free Mr. Morix from the detention center. I also wanted justice for Cassidy. I could tell that Yuri wanted her to see peace in her new home beyond the grave, even if she wasn't saying anything about it.

"Is the prosecution prepared to give its opening statement?" asked Judge Frost next. "I don't mind which one of you delivers it so long as we hear it."

Prosecutor Wood and Prosecutor Kalles looked to each other. The latter displayed a gentle smile and gestured to the younger girl, who looked visibly shaken that she was being asked to do this. Prosecutor Wood glanced around for a moment in panic, as if hoping that somebody else would appear from thin air to give the opening statement in her place. When she realized that wasn't going to be happening, she sighed and shook her head.

"The crime took place yesterday," Prosecutor Wood began. "It was at the Happy House Carnival, a traveling festival here for the summer, though they've been considering permanently setting up here. The victim was there to meet with a few other people. However, they never ended up crossing paths. An unknown person stabbed Cassidy Rinko, leaving her badly wounded. Not long after, an explosion went off, which mutilated her body beyond recognition. The debris falling on her combined with the fire was too much for her to take. She ended up passing away from her injuries not long after."

"That's not exactly a peaceful way to go," Judge Frost frowned. "You suspect the defendant of committing this crime, yes? What reasoning do you have behind this accusation? Is there any solid evidence to prove that he's the guilty party?"

"As of now, there is a little bit. For one, we know that he doesn't have an alibi. He claimed to his companions that he was going to pick up the victim for their conversation since she had gotten lost. Nobody saw him after he left them behind. After he left, the Ferris wheel exploded, leaving the victim dead. His fingerprints were found on the remote used to set off the bomb that caused such a blast. He even admitted that he picked it up after finding it on the ground, though we're sure that he could have easily lied about that," Prosecutor Wood went on.

"There seems to be quite a bit of evidence to show that the defendant did it," Judge Frost murmured. "How do you respond, defense? I take it that you still hold your plea of his innocence, yes?"

I nodded. "We do, Your Honor. We have some proof that he did not commit this crime. First and foremost, the prosecution did not bring up a solid motive that he would have for killing the victim. Opportunity and seemingly incriminating evidence mean nothing without a motivation for committing a crime. Nobody has any ideas as to why he would want to hurt the victim. They got along very well and haven't argued much in the two years that they have known one another. Without a motive, all of the evidence proposed by the prosecution could easily come off as circumstantial, which is not solid enough to incriminate him undoubtedly of this crime."

"Um... Well..." Prosecutor Wood stammered, beginning to pull on her braids.

A comforting hand from Prosecutor Kalles on her shoulder made her relax. "You don't need to worry. We can worry ourselves with that soon enough. For now, we would like to call our first witness to the witness stand, assuming that there are no objections. Is that alright with you, Ms. Brigit?" she questioned of me.

"I have no issues with that," I assured her. I turned to Yuri, who nodded her agreement.

We both focused back on the matter at hand when we heard Prosecutor Wood's voice once again. "The prosecution calls Vera Wattson to the witness stand!" she cried out, trying her best to sound more confident than she clearly felt.

Not long after, Detective Wattson appeared behind the stand, arms crossed over her chest. She flashed the court a friendly smile before turning to Prosecutor Wood patiently, likely waiting for her to ask for name and occupation.

Prosecutor Wood seemed too distracted by shifting through the evidence at her disposal to notice that all eyes were on her. Prosecutor Kalles noticed this and spoke up in her stead. "Please state your name and occupation for the court, witness," she instructed gently.

"Detective Vera Wattson. I work on homicide cases at the local precinct, love," Detective Wattson explained. "I'm the lead detective on this case as well, so I have details to share with you all during my testimony."

"Please go on and begin your testimony, witness," instructed Judge Frost.

Detective Wattson nodded. "I'll get right on it."

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Basic Details ~**

_\- "The murder took place yesterday, as was mentioned by the prosecution."_

_\- "The deceased was one Cassidy Rinko, a teenager who was visiting the crime scene with some friends."_

_\- "After she was attacked with a knife, another incident took place."_

_\- "A bomb went off, having been attached to the Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel was left a shell of its former self."_

_\- "The explosive was on the smaller side, to say the least. It could have easily been missed, which it was."_

_\- "The remote used to detonate the bomb had the fingerprints of the defendant on it, which was our reason for the arrest."_

_\- "He also lacked an alibi, so he had an opportunity to commit this crime."_

"What you're saying here makes the defendant sound very suspicious. It does seem likely that he could have committed this crime," remarked Judge Frost, closing her eyes in thought.

"Anyone can see that the chance is there. We couldn't take any risks. There didn't seem to be any evidence of another guilty party, so we had to take him in," explained Detective Wattson.

"However, you still haven't come up with a motive, yes?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"I'm afraid not. We haven't been able to dig up much of anything that could lead to a deadly confrontation. In the end, we had to base our suspicion on hard evidence rather than a motive," Detective Wattson said.

"Opportunity won't mean a thing without a solid motive though," Yuri pointed out. "I don't know how we can reasonably suspect the defendant without something as crucial as a motive."

"Perhaps you should save your questions for the cross-examination," suggested Prosecutor Kalles.

"You're right," Judge Frost cut in with a curt nod. "Begin your cross-examination, defense."

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Basic Details ~**

_\- "The murder took place yesterday, as was mentioned by the prosecution."_

_\- "The deceased was one Cassidy Rinko, a teenager who was visiting the crime scene with some friends."_

_\- "After she was attacked with a knife, another incident took place."_

_\- "A bomb went off, having been attached to the Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel was left a shell of its former self."_

_\- "The explosive was on the smaller side, to say the least. It could have easily been missed, which it was."_

_\- "The remote used to detonate the bomb had the fingerprints of the defendant on it, which was our reason for the arrest."_

_\- "He also lacked an alibi, so he had an opportunity to commit this crime."_

"Hold it!"

"I have a question about this lack of an alibi. Where did you get this information? I'm afraid we missed it in our initial investigation," I said.

"The people there with the victim and defendant that day were all able to confirm this, even without much communication between them. One is even Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, so we can probably consider this information credible," Detective Wattson told us. "Chief Prosecutor Ghastly Bespoke, Prosecutor Polly Burke, Prosecutor Sora Lin, and the defendant's sister, Chrysalis Starr, were among those also present that day. All of them have confirmed without a shadow of a doubt for us that the defendant was not with them when the murder took place."

"I wonder why they weren't at the crime scene yesterday. If they were witnesses, why were they let go so easily?" Yuri asked me.

"I have an explanation for that, as a matter of fact," Detective Wattson cut in. "All of them seemed to say the exact same thing as another witness, Neptune Mercure. The information they didn't have in common in their testimony was in a small enough amount that we decided not to keep them around."

"I see... What exactly were the differences between their testimonies, if you don't mind my asking?" I questioned next.

"The main one was where they were. While the four I mentioned before were with the defendant prior to the murder, Neptune Mercure was with the victim. They ended up splitting up shortly before the murder after the victim seemed to get lost in the carnival. A recorded phone call from the witness confirms this. It was between her and the victim, telling us loud and clear that she's been honest with us," Detective Wattson explained.

"I understand. Thank you for explaining this, Detective Wattson," I nodded. "It's much appreciated."

"Don't worry about it, pet," Detective Wattson smiled. "I don't mind at all."

"Are there any other questions you have for the detective, defense?" Judge Frost questioned of me.

I exchanged brief glances with Yuri, who responded with a shake of her head. "No, we're finished, Your Honor," I replied.

"Maybe we should go on and call our next witness," Prosecutor Wood murmured under her breath. She looked up at Prosecutor Kalles, who nodded her agreement. "Alright. The prosecution wishes to call another witness. Does the defense have any objections?"

"Not at all," I assured her simply. I was going to have to be careful not to push her over the edge. She seemed to be the anxious type. Being the lead prosecutor for a murder trial probably wasn't helping the situation much.

"Okay... The prosecution calls Neptune Mercure to the witness stand!" Prosecutor Wood exclaimed. I saw her clench the wood of the prosecution bench a little bit tighter out of nervousness.

Not long after, Ms. Mercure appeared at the stand, hands shoved into her pockets. She glanced around the room for a moment before her eyes fell onto Prosecutor Kalles. The older woman showed no signs of visible distress with this, instead ignoring it and speaking. "Please state your name and occupation for the court, witness," she demanded, though she was rather gentle about it. I hadn't yet seen her formidable side, which made me all the more nervous as to when I'd actually see it later in the trial. She had only been gentle and kind so far.

"Neptune Mercure's the name. I'm a private investigator, though I'm still pretty new to the profession. I haven't taken on many cases due to getting caught up in so many murders recently," Ms. Mercure declared. She had her arms crossed over her chest. She seemed to be much more relaxed in this trial compared to the case from a few months ago on the lake. Then again, it's very different being a witness for a case and being the defendant on trial for murder. The two experiences are on radically different ends of the spectrum.

"You witnessed something vital to the crime, yes?" came the voice of Prosecutor Kalles. I was starting to question if Prosecutor Wood was really the leader of this case, truth be told.

"I did. I didn't exactly see the victim die, but I did see the explosion from a distance. There's one other thing that you'll notice about my testimony. It differs a little bit from the testimony of those with the defendant the day of the crime. To put it nicely, I saw something that could very easily implicate him for the murder, so I hope you're ready for that," Ms. Mercure explained to the court.

"I bet she's going to bring up the remote control and how she saw Mr. Morix holding it," Yuri murmured. "I can't think of anything else that could so easily turn this entire case around on its head."

"I think you're right," I agreed. "Luckily, we're going to be able to fight back against it thanks to Mr. Morix's help. If a fingerprint test was done on the whole remote, we can certainly use that to our advantage. It just boils down to a matter of how we're going to do it at this point."

"I think it's time for you to begin your testimony, assuming that there isn't anything else that anyone needs," Judge Frost cut in. "Are there any objections to the witness starting her testimony now?"

"I would like her to begin her testimony, but before that, I'd like to have a copy of the forensics tests done for this case," I declared. "I believe that there were a few done, and I never got my hands on the files, I'm afraid."

Prosecutor Wood let out a small gasp and began shuffling through the papers before her, all of which seemed to be perfectly organized. After a few moments of moving the papers around desperately, she found what she was looking for and dashed over to the defense bench, one hand extended forwards with the envelope between her fingers. I gave her a nod of thanks and accepted the pages.

I opened up the envelope and looked at the papers. Upon closer examination, I learned that there were only two test results inside. The first one was for the remote, which already had all the information I needed. The second one had the results from the test on the colorful hat I had requested. I was more than a little relieved to see it was there.

"Should I go on and start now?" asked Ms. Mercure.

"Yes, go right ahead," nodded Judge Frost.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Ferris Wheel Explosion ~**

_\- "Cassidy and I had accidentally been separated while at the amusement park that day."_

_\- "I called her for a moment. At first, she seemed to be on a call with someone else, who I later learned was the defendant."_

_\- "She told me that she had gotten lost and didn't know where she was. The best landmark around was the Ferris wheel, so she suggested that."_

_\- "She also mentioned that the defendant was set to meet her there in a few minutes."_

_\- "I followed her instructions to meet her at the Ferris wheel. As I was on my way there, the blast went off."_

_\- "It was a huge explosion, seeming to rip the sky apart. The Ferris wheel seemed to be down within a matter of seconds, to put it into perspective, despite the bomb being on the smaller side."_

_-"That was when I saw the defendant nearby. He was holding a remote."_

_-"That was the remote used to set off the bomb. You must agree that it makes him seem rather suspicious, yes?"_

"I'm at least glad that we were prepared for her to say that after yesterday. It could have come as quite the shock if we hadn't been ready to handle it in advance," Yuri muttered, her voice filled to the brim with relief.

"It could have easily ended with disaster if she hadn't told us about what she saw regarding Mr. Morix. We can at least count that among our blessings," I agreed. "Luckily, I was right to ask for the forensics files that were performed for this case. The first page should have all the information that we need to refute her statements when the cross-examination begins."

"You already seem to be prepared to examine her testimony," Judge Frost observed. "If you're so prepared, perhaps it's time to get started now."

I nodded. "I'll get right to it, Your Honor."

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Ferris Wheel Explosion ~**

_\- "Cassidy and I had accidentally been separated while at the amusement park that day."_

_\- "I called her for a moment. At first, she seemed to be on a call with someone else, who I later learned was the defendant."_

_\- "She told me that she had gotten lost and didn't know where she was. The best landmark around was the Ferris wheel, so she suggested that."_

_\- "She also mentioned that the defendant was set to meet her there in a few minutes."_

_\- "I followed her instructions to meet her at the Ferris wheel. As I was on my way there, the blast went off."_

_\- "It was a huge explosion, seeming to rip the sky apart. The Ferris wheel seemed to be down within a matter of seconds, to put it into perspective, despite the bomb being on the smaller side."_

_\- "That was when I saw the defendant nearby. He was holding a remote."_

_\- "That was the remote used to set off the bomb. You must agree that it makes him seem rather suspicious, yes?"_

"Objection!"

"I'm afraid that the defendant actually isn't suspicious at all," I said with a small smirk. "I have an explanation for why he was holding the remote and proof to back it up."

"What sort of proof?" Prosecutor Wood asked. I noticed that she was growing paler now that we were poking holes into her case.

"I asked before the testimony began if I could have the files from the tests done by the forensics team. There was a reason for that, and it's all for this moment," I began, pulling up the file. "This file will prove that the defendant did not kill the victim at the carnival that day."

"How can you prove something like that?" Prosecutor Kalles asked.

"It's all to do with the test on the remote. It was dusted for fingerprints and was confirmed to have the prints of the defendant on its surface. There's even a few pictures included to show where the prints were found exactly, which is where the incredibly useful part of this file comes into play. This file shows that the defendant's fingerprints were found on the sides of the remote, but none were found on the surface of the button. There is a reason for that."

"Why weren't there any fingerprints on the button? If he really set it off, then wouldn't he have been forced to touch the button?" Judge Frost questioned.

"Exactly. His fingerprints were found on the remote, but there weren't any on the button. That's because he didn't touch the button with his bare fingers," I explained. "It is this piece of evidence that shows perfectly clearly that he didn't do it."

"If his fingerprints weren't found on the button, that means that all he did was hold it. I doubt that he'd cover up his prints when pressing the button while still keeping his prints on the rest of the remote. That wouldn't make any sense. Instead, the defense proposes that the defendant was telling the truth when he told us that he merely found the remote and picked it up out of curiosity," Yuri continued to say.

"So, the defendant didn't press the button used to detonate the bomb. That means that he just didn't set off the explosion. That doesn't mean that he couldn't have committed the crime. For all you know, different people stabbed the victim and set off the bomb. They could easily have been separate people," Prosecutor Kalles pointed out.

"But didn't you claim at the start of this trial that the killer did both?" I couldn't help but ask. "You're now going back on this claim since evidence has surfaced to prove the defendant couldn't have set off the bomb on the Ferris wheel."

"The job of a prosecutor is to adapt their case when new information comes along," Prosecutor Kalles said. "Besides, no case stays the same as what is originally assumes. Something always happens to change the case either for the better or for worse. I'm merely changing it to suit the new circumstances."

"That's a bit annoying," Yuri muttered. "I was hoping that we'd be able to make more significant steps than that. It's barely anything. We just got him cleared of the bomb deal, but the murder is still as big an issue of ever. That's frustrating."

"There isn't much of anything we can do about it though. For now, let's keep going with the prosecution's game. There's no other real option," I told her.

"I bet that they have something else up their sleeve. Besides, they still haven't brought up the hat that we found. I bet that they're trying to avoid it since they know that it's going to go against their case," Yuri grinned. "If the analysis on it was in the folder we got, they probably have a copy of it too. I'm assuming that it didn't come in until just before the trial, so maybe they haven't gotten into it yet."

"I can't say for sure. Perhaps we should bring it up. I doubt they'll want to open that can of beans before we do," I said. I shifted through the folder until I found the right page. I shared a quick glance with Yuri, who nodded as a way of telling me to go on. "If you all don't mind, the defense would like to propose a topic of discussion. It has to do with something that was found at the crime scene. The forensics team missed it at first, but we firmly believe that it could lead to the real killer."

"Go on," Prosecutor Wood said. She still seemed to be nervous after we blew part of her case wide open.

"There was a hat found among the rubble of the Ferris wheel. We didn't know much about it at first, but we had a test on it done so that we could hear more regarding it. There was blood found on the inside, which instantly seems to link it to the murder," I began. "The defense would like to ask the court about this piece of evidence."

"I hope that the prosecution doesn't have an explanation for it. If they do, our case will easily be destroyed, and that's the last thing we need right now," Yuri murmured. "I guess we won't know until they speak up about it. It looks like Prosecutor Kalles is trying to find it. Maybe their workspace isn't quite as neat as it looks to be."

Finally, Prosecutor Kalles seemed to find what she was looking for. She smiled to herself and looked up. "Alright. The prosecution will go on and share its thoughts regarding the hat now," she told the court, placing the paper regarding the hat on top. "Let's get right into it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a lot of typing today, so I'm not going to stick around here for very long. Bye. I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Digital


	35. The Festive Turnabout, Part 5

**July 20**

**Courtroom No. 5**

**10:45 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

"During the investigation, we learned that this hat belongs to all employees of the carnival. It's meant to help them look more approachable to the young children that will be visiting this carnival," Prosecutor Kalles began. "One was found at the scene of the murder. There was blood found staining the inside. The blood was confirmed to belong to the victim. It had gotten on there sometime during the explosion. I can't exactly say how, but it did. It was covered in dust from the debris of the Ferris wheel, but it wasn't burned. It could have been pulled into the explosion thanks to wind or something of that nature. I don't think that we'll ever be able to say for sure."

"Then what does it have to do with the case? Are you going to tell us that it was found there by complete coincidence? I somehow doubt that's the case," I remarked. "I feel like this definitely has some sort of purpose. It's just up to us to find out what it is. Are there any other propositions from you, Prosecutor Kalles?"

"I feel as if the hat was left there on purpose by the defendant," Prosecutor Kalles replied. "I think that it was set there as a way of framing somebody. The defendant would have known that he wouldn't look suspicious if he put it at the scene of the crime since it would incriminate a worker at the carnival. That would shift the blame away from him, which is what any killer would want when they were at risk of being found out for their crimes. Do you have any other ideas regarding the hat?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," I nodded. "I think that it's there because it belongs to the killer. Think about it. My client's fingerprints were able to prove that he wasn't the one who set up the bomb. It must have been somebody else. Another idea is that this hat is more proof that he didn't commit this crime. I should be able to prove it as well."

"Then go on and tell us your theory. Don't hold back," Judge Frost told me, closing her eyes in thought.

I nodded. "Alright. First, we must go back to the topic of the explosion. We already proved that the defendant didn't set off the bomb with the power of logic earlier on. We can also assume that he didn't set up the bomb in the first place," I said.

"What makes you so sure of that? He could have set it up, right?" asked Prosecutor Wood. "I don't see why we'd be able to rule that out completely."

"How would he have been able to set up a bomb on the Ferris wheel without there being any suspicion? He was just a visitor to the carnival. I doubt that a visitor would have been able to go back there without somebody seeing him and finding it peculiar," I explained.

"So you think that it was somebody from the carnival who put the bomb into its position," Prosecutor Kalles said. "Who could it have been then? You must have some idea as to who it was, yes?"

I paused and shook my head. "I'm afraid not. However, I feel that there is enough proof for us to believe this is the case. A common person wouldn't be able to set up a bomb like that without being seen or called suspicious. A carnival worker could say that they were performing maintenance on the Ferris wheel easily, which would help them keep from being called out on the matter," I continued.

"If that's the case, what does this have to do with the hat?" Prosecutor Wood questioned. "I don't understand."

"If a carnival worker set up the bomb and detonated it with the remote, then that puts them in a suspicious place. We could easily claim that they also killed the victim," I told her. "The hat proves that a carnival worker was at the scene of the crime. If we can find another piece of definitive evidence, we can show that it was a carnival worker that killed the victim instead of the defendant."

"If you ask me, you're really shifting suspicion away from Mr. Morix! Good job, Deirdre!" Yuri cheered. She clapped her hands together in excitement.

"Don't prematurely celebrate your victory. For all you know, he could have had an accomplice working with him during all of this. How can we be sure that he didn't have a carnival worker helping him to commit the murder? That leaves all of your logic to deteriorate," said Prosecutor Kalles, placing one hand on the bench in front of her. "What do you say to that, defense?"

"What proof do you have that he has an accomplice?" I shot back. "Evidence is everything in court. Without solid evidence, you can't prove that somebody was working with him. Plus, the hat shows that a carnival worker must have been there with the victim when she died. I'm talking about the stabbing. The body was buried under a large pile of debris. I doubt that the debris would have been able to cover the hat if it hadn't been close to the body when the explosion went off. It couldn't have been pulled on based off where it was positioned at the crime scene."

"You're saying that there's no real way to prove that Mr. Morix is the killer with this evidence," Judge Frost remarked. "I must say, the evidence that you're proposing seems to point to a third party being the killer who attacked the victim that day."

"I agree. There isn't any solid proof that he did it. With the remote evidence having been debunked, we must look to other possibilities, and all those possibilities say is that somebody else is the killer," I told her. "Mr. Morix is not the one who attacked the victim that day."

"Then who did do it?" asked Prosecutor Kalles. "I somehow get the feeling that you don't have any definitive evidence pointing to a specific person. You'll need more time to investigate if you're going to find them, yes?"

"Yes. You got it exactly," I nodded. "If that's alright with the prosecution and you, Your Honor... The defense would like to request a second day of investigation. The defense is confident that the killer will be found if we have a little more time to figure out who the murderer is. A day will do just fine for us."

"We can think about this a bit later. There are a few other things that I'd like to discuss regarding the crime, if you don't mind," said Prosecutor Kalles. "I would like to ask you about the remote. Is that really as conclusive as you're claiming? For all you know, the defendant planned this out in advance. As his employees, you must know that he's a smart man, even more so than you realize. I feel that he could very easily have looked into what would likely happen when the case went to court and determined that he would be alright if things went down this way. He's been a lawyer for two years now. He knows what constitutes as definitive."

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying," I frowned.

"For all you know, the evidence surrounding the remote was manipulated to show that the defendant didn't do it," Prosecutor Kalles told me. "Think about it. He could have known that the remote would be called definitive evidence against his guilt if his fingerprints weren't found on the button. You can't say for sure that he didn't do it off that remote alone. That seems to be what your whole case hinges on. Your argument is much more fragile than you realize."

"You think that he could have known this would happen," I murmured. "I'm afraid that nobody would realistically do that if they were trying to be called innocent after having committed a crime. It would be far too risky. If something had gone wrong, then he would have ended up in jail, potentially suffering from the death penalty in the future. The risk was much higher than the reward. It's a matter of logic. Nobody would do that on purpose. Either they'd wear gloves or touch the remote all over with their fingerprints. The in-between place where the defendant's prints are simply isn't realistic given the situation."

Prosecutor Kalles thought on this for a moment and nodded. "You are correct." I was a bit confused at this for a moment. If she knew that we were going to see through her bluff, why say it to begin with? Was this all some sort of test? If it was, then we had passed it rather easily. Maybe I would be able to ask her about it once the investigation began, assuming that she was going to be willing to answer me...

"Are there any other things to discuss about the case? From what I can tell, there isn't much else to talk about in this case," Judge Frost frowned. "Everything the defense has said so far points to a third party being the killer. If that's the case, then I want to know what the prosecution thinks. Both of you have deflected the possibility of the defendant being the killer. It seems to me that you are siding with the defense on this matter. If that's the case, then would you at all object to going to investigation now? I don't think that we'll be able to reach the truth without any carnival workers involved in the case. The only witness we've found was just visiting the carnival. There must be somebody involved with the case who can tell us more about the hat and its role in the murder."

Prosecutor Kalles shared a quick glance with Prosecutor Wood. The latter was looking down quietly, messing around with the papers in front of her, before she looked up to meet the eyes of her partner. Prosecutor Wood shook her head and shrugged, clearly at a loss for words. Prosecutor Kalles placed a gentle hand on her shoulder before speaking. "The prosecution has no objections to an extra investigation period," Prosecutor Kalles declared. Prosecutor Wood, who appeared to be getting a bit light-headed, leaned up against the woman's side to steady herself. Prosecutor Kalles stroked her hair with her free hand.

"In that case, I think that we should go to investigation," I declared. "If we are given a day, we can find any carnival workers involved with the case. Assuming that each worker only has one hat, then we can just see who doesn't have one and use that to our advantage. That person could easily be fingered as the culprit should things line up well enough."

"I trust that both sides will look into the case as much as they can to ensure that the truth will be found next time we return to the courtroom," Judge Frost said. She looked over to the prosecution. Prosecutor Wood had grown rather pale, barely standing at this point. Prosecutor Kalles was steadying her the best that she could, but it was clear that she was struggling to do so. "Are you feeling alright, Prosecutor Wood? You don't look like you're doing very well."

"I'll take care of her after the trial ends," Prosecutor Kalles assured her. "Go on and adjourn the trial now, Your Honor. We're ready."

"If you're sure... Alright. Court is now adjourned for the trial of Cotoli Morix. I expect both sides to investigate sufficiently, so they are ready for tomorrow," Judge Frost instructed. She picked up her gavel before hitting it down on the table before her. The courtroom erupted into conversation once she had finished speaking. I took that as my cue to leave, so I began to pack up my things before leaving.

**July 20**

**Defendant Lobby No. 5**

**12:00 PM**

**Cotoli Morix**

"That trial was rather short," I remarked after we had finished up in the courtroom. I had my arms crossed as I faced Deirdre and Yuri. "I guess I can go with it since we got extra time to investigate the case."

"Prosecutor Kalles seemed to be holding back in there, if you ask me," Yuri commented. "It was like she was trying to let us win. I'm glad about that. I don't even care if we didn't really 'earn' the victory. It's welcome no matter how we got to it."

"I feel the same. We need to use this investigation to its full potential. If we can find the killer, then all of this would have been worth it. That's what we need right now. That will help us pull out a win on this case," Deirdre said in return.

"I should probably let you get to it. It wouldn't do to have you two spending all your potential time for investigation in here talking to me. If you get the chance, come and tell me about what you find while you're looking around. I'm a bit curious about it. Granted, I don't have much of a choice for things to do, so all I really can do is wait around until more information about the investigation comes back," I commented, a frown on my face. "I wish it didn't have to be like this, but it'll be back to normal soon. I know that you'll be able to prove my innocence after a using this time to its full potential. You're good at what you do."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Morix. You flatter us too much," Deirdre commented, her face going red. "We'll tell you everything we hear once we've finished up. If you have any ideas on how we can prove your innocence after hearing about it, then you can tell us. We'll take any help we can get with open arms."

I nodded. "I'll be sure to do that. Until then, you should get going. I'll see you later," I said with a small wave. I turned to go for the door. Detective Wattson was going to be arriving any minute, so I might as well be ready to head out. She probably wouldn't want to stick around for much longer when there's a killer on the loose at the carnival. Regardless of if it was closed for the investigation or not (I had no idea since I was stuck in the detention center), it was still dangerous. If people were there, the killer could still be there and could easily hurt people. If people weren't, there was the risk that the killer had escaped and could hurt other people.

Before I got the chance to leave the room, I was cut off by a young woman appearing before me. Her hair was dark brown and curled every which way around her body. It took a moment for me to recognize her. It was Neptune Mercure, if I was remembering correctly. She was the witness for this case, so it would make sense that she was around here.

"Hey there, Mr. Morix," she remarked casually, crossing her arms and smiling. "You look pretty tired. Are you trying to go back to the detention center to catch a little bit of sleep?"

"Not exactly," I told her, surprised that she had approached me so simply. I was rarely that casual with anyone, much less people that I didn't know well. "My defense team just has to go on and investigate, so I'm getting out of their hair to give them that opportunity. You don't see any wrong in that, right?"

"Of course not. I just came to ask you a question or two. Where's that little sister of yours? I don't think I saw her around today. It was a bit worrying to notice," Ms. Mercure said, her features slipping into a frown. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to or don't have the answer. I was just curious about it. From what I saw during the case on the lake, she thinks the world of you and adores you with all her heart. I don't know why she wouldn't show up when you're on trial for murder. It just doesn't make much sense to me."

"I see," I nodded. "Chrysalis hasn't been feeling well lately because of all that's been happening. She dropped by the detention center last night to tell me that she wasn't going to be coming to the trial since she's feeling a bit sick. Why do you ask? Were you worried about her?"

"I was, as a matter of fact. I was surprised to see that she wasn't here. I was thinking that something had gone wrong to keep her from coming," Ms. Mercure said. "She's a good kid. I didn't want her to end up in trouble after all this... Do you know where I'd be able to find her? I want to talk to her. We've been becoming friends recently, so I want to check up on her if that's alright with you."

I was a bit surprised to hear her say that. Judging by the way she responded, she was able to see it on my face. "Did she not tell you? She's been coming over to my house ever since the lake case ended back in May. I would have expected you to know about it," Ms. Mercure remarked.

"I did hear that she was closer with somebody else, but I never heard who it was," I explained. "She's probably back at our house. Do you know where that is? Did she ever give you our address?"

"She did," Ms. Mercure nodded. "If it's alright with you, I'm going to go on by there. Do you think she'll be home? If not, I can wait a little bit longer before dropping by. Anything is fine by me. I just want to make sure that she's feeling okay with all of this."

I knew full and well that Chrysalis wasn't exactly going to be feeling okay. Instead, it was likely going to be the exact opposite. However, I didn't want to put a damper on Ms. Mercure's spirits, so I put a small smile on my face. "She'll appreciate that you wanted to drop by and talk to her. I know that she's probably feeling rather lonely since I'm not at home. If you go to see her, would you mind asking her to come by the detention center to come and see me? I would ask her myself, but it's not like I really have the option to. I'm stuck there on my own with no real way of contacting the outside world," I said.

Ms. Mercure nodded. "I can do that. She'll be by as soon as she's ready. I can promise you that much," she assured me, a glint of determination in her eyes. "Until we meet again, Mr. Morix. I'll be seeing you tomorrow in the trial, I assume. I'm probably going to be dragged back to make sure that I'm not needed for any further testimony." She waved my way before leaving the room.

I waved in return before looking down. I hadn't heard anything about her becoming friends with Chrysalis. My little sister told me everything, so the fact that I didn't know anything about this was rather concerning to me. I knew that she must have had her reasons, but that didn't make it much easier to deal with. I could just ask her later. If Ms. Mercure was really so determined, she wasn't going to let Chrysalis skip on coming to see me. When she came by, I could question her on why she kept it hidden. Until then, all I really could do was theorize, regardless of how pointless that was in the long term.

Detective Wattson appeared not long after. She gestured for me to come over. "Are you ready to go?" she asked of me.

I nodded. "Let's get going," I told her. "I don't want to stay around here for any longer than I have to."

Detective Wattson nodded her understanding. "Then let's do it," she said. She led me out of the defendant lobby and then the courthouse as a whole. I wasn't exactly excited to return to my holding cell at the detention center, but at the same time, Ms. Mercure had suggested something compelling. The thought of sleep made me happy, even if the beds there weren't exactly the most comfortable. I could always take advantage of that and catch a little bit of downtime before the trial started back up. I knew that I would need it.

**July 20**

**Prosecution Lobby No. 5**

**11:00 AM**

**Niamh Wood**

I could hear my heart pounding loudly in my chest, even if we had been out in the prosecution lobby for about fifteen minutes. I still couldn't believe that the trial had actually happened! I had been doing so well, but then that stupid picture of the body had to mess it all up! Prosecutor Kalles probably thought I was weak now. No other prosecutor would have a panic attack and nearly pass out at seeing a dead body. It's part of the daily routine. I was a failure on all levels as far as I was concerned.

Even so, she didn't seem to mind holding me close as we sat in the lobby. "It's okay," Prosecutor Kalles assured me. We probably looked rather strange like that. I had at least three inches on her, and yet, I was still curled up in her arms like a little kid. I dreaded to think of how my reputation would suffer if other people at the office heard about this...

"I feel so stupid now," I muttered, shaking my head. "I shouldn't have been so shaken after seeing that. I see bodies on the daily. It's normal, but..."

"It was the knife. That's okay. Everybody has their fears. Others understand. If you're scared of sharp objects, that's fine. Nobody is going to judge you for it. They're scared of things as well. It would be hypocritical for them to pick on you for it," Prosecutor Kalles whispered gently, beginning to rock me from side to side.

"Prosecutor Burke is really going to rip into me for this. She never seems to let me catch a break. As far as she's concerned, I'm a horrible human being who shouldn't even exist. This is only going to worsen her opinion of me," I said quietly, my words picking up in pace and intensity with each syllable. "Please don't tell her about this. I'd rather she hear about it on her own than just be told straight up. Granted, both of them will result in me getting a stern talking to, but it doesn't matter..."

"I won't tell her if you don't want me to. I'm on your side, Niamh," Prosecutor Kalles told me. "Do you need anything? Would you like me to grab a glass of water for you? You probably need it after what happened in there."

"I'll be fine," I replied shakily. I tried to get to my feet, but when I realized my knees were trembling, I was forced to sit back down. Prosecutor Kalles didn't seem to mind. She sent me a smile of comfort, which made me feel a little bit better.

"We can stay here for as long as you need," Prosecutor Kalles said to me. "If you think you need a little bit of time, then we can hold off the investigation. We have the entire afternoon to investigate the case, so we can spare a little bit of time."

"I don't want to keep us from our time to look into the case though," I told her, forcing myself to stand again. Prosecutor Kalles wasn't having any of it though, as she took my hand and dragged me back down to the couch. "Prosecutor Kalles, we don't have any time to lose. You can tell me that it's okay all you want, but I know that we have a duty to learn everything that we possibly can before the day is done. We have to get started. Otherwise, we'll never find everything."

"I have a few things to handle before we can start looking into things for the day as well, so while I'm handling that, you can do your best to recover after that you've gone through. I'm sure that nobody will mind if we're a little bit later than expected. If we have to talk to other people on the scene about it after we arrive, then that's alright. We can take care of it then," Prosecutor Kalles said. "I'll meet you there. Until then, stay here." She rose to her feet and stretched her arms to the ceiling before walking for the day. She waved at me and left the room.

I tried my best to pursue her, but my shaky legs were firmly against that notion, so I shuffled back to the lobby couch and flopped down. I didn't want to do this. There were so many important things I had to take care of with the investigation. I couldn't waste any time staying around here like a bump on a pickle. How would I ever get anybody's approval if I couldn't even get to a crime scene without feeling like I was going to collapse from shakiness? It just wouldn't happen.

A woman came dashing over to me not long after. I recognized her to be Prosecutor Lin. I let out a gasp of surprise. "Prosecutor Lin! What are you doing here? I thought that you were going to be at the office still. Don't you have work to do? I don't want Prosecutor Burke to get on your case for being here," I frowned.

"My baby is on her first case without me or her father! I can't just miss an opportunity to see how much you've grown like that!" Prosecutor Lin chirped in response. "I saw that you looked sort of shaky after the trial. Are you feeling okay? Prosecutor Kalles seemed to have it all under control, but I wanted to make sure that you were alright."

"I'm okay," I assured her. "I just got a glance of the knife in the picture of the crime scene. It caught me off guard, so... I ended up panicking... Thanks for coming to check on me. I appreciate it a lot."

"No problem," Prosecutor Lin smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Do you need a lift somewhere? Prosecutor Kalles obviously isn't here, so she can't exactly take you down to the crime scene or anything."

"That would be appreciated, actually. Thank you," I said with a nod. "She said that she had other business to take care of, so she was going to let me rest and recover after seeing the knife for a little while. She didn't give me anything specific as for what she was doing though, so I don't really know where to find her. Plus, I don't have her phone number, which all seems to be a recipe for disaster... You know, looking back on it, perhaps splitting up wasn't exactly the best idea..."

"It's okay. We're taking care of it now, which is what matters. Now that we've got that deal out of the way, I think it's time for you to give me the important and juicy details on this case. I want to hear all about how the investigation has been going! How is Prosecutor Kalles treating you? She's a nice woman, so she's being sweet to you, right? I want to hear everything that you can tell me," Prosecutor Lin said. She took my hand firmly between her fingers and began to drag me from the building and out to her car. I was surprised I was somehow able to remain upright with how she was tugging on me. Realistically, I would have fallen to the ground at least twenty times, but by some miracle, I ended up getting outside to the car just fine. Don't ask me how it happened. I wish I knew. Normally, my balance was less than stellar, but it had come through for me when it mattered.

"Now, I need all of the details!" Prosecutor Lin chirped as she started up the car. The engine groaned gently before kicking into gear. She pulled backwards out of the parking spot we were in, shooting an eager glance at me before looking out the back window to check that she was safe to continue pulling out.

"Alright, alright. I'll tell you everything," I told her. I hadn't expected her to be so excited about something as simple as a case investigation. It took me a moment to remember that the victim was a close friend of hers, so maybe she was asking me as a way of wanting closure over her death or a distraction from the fact that a loved companion had been killed. I couldn't say for sure. Whatever it was, it wasn't really my business. I could leave it alone for the time being so as not to bother her. Besides, she wasn't going to be letting go of the investigation so easily, that was for sure.

"Let's get this started! It's not that far to the carnival from here, so you'll need to talk fast!" Prosecutor Lin continued as we left the parking lot of the courthouse. "And I want all the details, so we can't really afford to let ourselves get distracted along the way!"

"Okay, okay," I said calmly as a balance to her upbeat and chipper demeanor. "Well, the case's investigation is going..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this quickly while watching a livestream oops
> 
> -Digital


	36. The Festive Turnabout, Part 6

**July 20**

**Morix Law Offices**

**11:30 AM**

**Neptune Mercure**

I pressed the doorbell to the agency after realizing that it was locked. I assumed instantly that it was because everybody was out due to this case. If Ms. Brigit was on the defense, Ms. Shield was undoubtedly watching from the gallery. There was always the chance that she just hadn't come back yet, which was fine. It didn't bother me. I wasn't here for them anyways.

A small clicking sound from the door indicated that I was able to come in. I walked inside and noticed how empty the lobby was. I hadn't been around here at all before, but Chrysalis had told me that she was often the one who ran the front desk. Looking back, it made sense that nobody was there. If she was having an episode, she probably wouldn't want to be up at the front of the building for anybody to see.

I entered the elevator and let it take me up to the proper floor, otherwise known as the top one. I wandered around for a little bit before I saw an open door. There was a small amount of light coming from it, so I figured that I had found my target.

Sure enough, there was Chrysalis. She was curled up on the bed in silence, hugging her legs to her chest. I had forgotten for a little bit that she actually lived in this place with her brother. She said that it was to save on money or something of that nature. Her phone was held close to her face, causing white light to be broadcast all over the room.

I knocked against the door frame for a second before walking in. Chrysalis peered up over the top of her phone for a second before rubbing at her eyes. Her glasses were perched on the bed nearby away from her face. Upon closer examination, I realized that her eyes were puffy and red, likely from crying. Maybe she was a bit more torn up about all of this than I had initially thought...

"You okay?" I asked of her gently, not wanting to upset her at all.

"I'll be fine," she grumbled, seizing her glasses after fumbling around for them for a moment or two. She pushed them onto her face roughly. "What are you doing here? I thought that you had other stuff to do today."

"I finished. I can drop by the crime scene later on. I wanted to make sure that you're feeling okay first," I explained, sitting on the edge of the bed. I grabbed a nearby cord that opened up the blinds that rested on top of the windows. The sunlight flooded the room in the blink of an eye, making Chrysalis flinch in shock. She shook her head in disproval before hiding her eyes in her hands.

"Why did you have to do that?" Chrysalis groaned under her breath before looking up at me. "I was perfectly content moping in the darkness for the rest of the day, Neptune."

"I don't think you really were," I said. I scooted a little closer before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She didn't struggle or try to pull away, instead only slumping into my arms quietly. She didn't say a word, so I spoke up instead. "Do you want to talk about what's been going on?"

"Not really," she admitted. "I just want my brother to come home already. It's only been a few days, but I already miss him to death. I couldn't sleep a wink last night despite how exhausted I was. I don't think that's exactly a good thing."

"I agree on that being bad," I nodded. I began to run my fingers through her hair. "What about we talk about something else as a little distraction? Would you like that better?"

After hesitating for a moment, Chrysalis nodded. "That sounds good," she told me. "Do you have any ideas?"

"What about my offer from the case on the lake? I haven't heard you say anything about it yet," I remarked. "You said that you might need me, but we haven't talked at all about that. When we meet up, we end up acting like that conversation never happened. We need to talk about this, Chrysalis. Dropping it isn't going to do either one of us a bit of good."

"I don't know what to think, if we're being honest. Why can't you just tell me what's going on? All you really did that day was confuse me. If you would just give me a straight answer, maybe I'd be able to get back to you on it, but I'm afraid that I lack the knowledge needed to talk about what it is you wish to discuss."

"I can't do that. This discovery is meant to be yours. I won't squander it by telling you ahead of time. Besides, I feel like you know the answer deep down. No matter how much you try to ignore it, you know exactly what I mean. Denial won't help a soul, Chrysalis. All it does is make you miserable. The sooner that you accept what's been happening with Oracle, the better," I said.

"I don't know what you mean. I've never known what you meant. Can we just move on? I don't want to think about it," Chrysalis murmured.

"You're scared of the answer. You're scared of the truth. You don't need to be afraid. It'll all be okay. You know how the universe works. You're going to be fine," I assured her.

"Oracle is responsible for Venus being killed. She should have lived out a long life happy with her future husband or wife. She should have been here for years to come. She should have been here with me, but because of Oracle getting wrapped up in her life, she's gone. There's nothing we can do about that now, but I still hate them for it. You keep implying that Oracle is already part of my life too. That means that I've been hating on somebody that I love, that helped me through that ordeal, for all these months. I don't want to confront that. You act like it's perfectly normal that my trust in somebody is going to be shattered because of something I have no control over. One of my relationships is going to crumble because of all that's happened and will happen. I don't want that, Neptune," Chrysalis told me.

I felt my shoulders relax ever so slightly as I pulled her in a bit closer. "I think I get what has you so distressed," I murmured. "The way that you're talking about Cassidy's sister makes it sound like... Like you loved her."

Chrysalis was silent for a moment. She didn't say anything for a solid two minutes, just staring down at her hands in the quiet. "Fine. You caught me," she admitted softly with a shake of her head. "Venus never liked me back. I feel like I would have known it if she did. Plus, she ended up with a boyfriend. She never really found me to be her type, but I was still her best friend... Even if I wasn't meant to end up with her, I wanted to at least see her happy for years to come, and yet... She died before that chance was given to her. Oracle is the only one I have to blame. Oracle only ever causes issues for everybody. Oracle is responsible for Venus dying. I need to figure out who they are so that I can tell them to stop all this. First it was Venus, and now Cassidy is gone. I don't want Oracle to tear away anybody else that I care about. I'm tired of everybody leaving because Oracle is responsible for their untimely deaths. I don't want that to happen anymore, Neptune."

"I understand why you're upset. You've been through a lot. Anybody in your position would be angry at the one who caused all of this," I told her. "I get it. However, I don't want this to tear you up any longer. All this has done is hurt you. I don't like that."

"I'll talk to you about it if I get upset. Does that help you feel better about all this?" she asked me, still not daring to meet my eyes. "Until then, you should probably get back to the crime scene. I don't want you to get in trouble for not being there when you should be."

I sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. I should get going. I'll see you later. Call me if you need anything, alright?" I told her.

She nodded. "Got it. You go take care of business. I'll see you later, Neptune."

I shot Chrysalis a brief wave before walking out of the room. Here's to hoping I wouldn't get in trouble for being gone just this long...

**July 20**

**Happy House Carnival**

**12:00 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

I could hear a voice from behind me nearly as soon as we arrived at the carnival. I couldn't exactly make out the words due to the large number of police officers that had swarmed the area. I dismissed it as being unimportant to my investigation and continued walking forwards, Yuri trailing a few feet behind me. It wasn't until Yuri tapped my shoulder and gestured for me to turn around that I realized the voice was actually trying to address us.

It was Lily, I realized. She was trying to push her away through the countless officers to reach Yuri and me. She waved her arms around once she recognized that we had seen her. It was only a few moments later that she disappeared back into the crowd. She somehow popped up beside us not long after. "Hi," Lily told us, breathing heavily as she attempted to get her breath back. "You guys sure can move quickly. I was trying my best to get your attention, but it didn't really look like it was working. I guess that I was right about it not working. It took you guys forever to see me," she went on. "Anyways, I'm going to be hanging out with you guys for a little while. The agency is pretty empty since I'm the only one around there. I don't want to be there in the quiet anymore. I doubt that Mr. Morix will mind if I'm following you guys around as you try to prove his innocence. He just can't get mad at that."

"Doesn't that leave Chrysalis alone at the agency checking that we don't get any new customers? I don't know if that's a good idea. She's probably in the middle of another one of her depressive episodes right now," Yuri frowned. "I guess that we can check on her later though. For now, let's focus on proving the innocence of Mr. Morix. I don't want him to end up in trouble because of all this. That would be a disaster. We'd all be out of jobs if he ends up being convicted successfully of this killing. I don't know about you, but I don't really want that to happen."

"It'll be okay," I assured her, taking care to be firm yet gentle at the same time. "All we need to do at the moment is wander around until we can find a carnival worker. I doubt that very many of them were allowed to leave the scene after the murder took place. The sooner that we can find somebody who knows what they're doing, the sooner we can find the real culprit. We were given this time by Judge Frost and the mercy of Prosecutor Kalles. We should do our best to make sure that it's spent well."

"Then let's start exploring! I like exploring!" Yuri chirped. I could sense a little bit of sadness behind her voice, but she was trying to avoid mentioning it, so I was going to leave it alone for the time being. Later on, I could approach her and talk to her for a little bit to make sure that she was feeling better. I could even help out by giving her a therapy session if she needed it. I could tell that her sister's death was weighing heavily on her mind. The case was probably only increasing this burden, but I knew that she would just insist on helping out regardless. Plus, I didn't want to embarrass her in front of Lily by bringing up something so dark.

Yuri began to skip away despite the dark emotions that were clouding over in her mind. I went to chase after her, but I didn't get the chance to. Before Lily or I could call out a warning, Yuri rammed straight into a passing carnival worker, sending both parties falling backwards to the ground. Yuri let out a gasp of shock as her backside slammed into the concrete. I flinched at the sound, instantly feeling bad for both of them.

"Are you okay?!" Lily asked as she ran up to Yuri, taking one of her arms between her fingers. Lily gently hauled Yuri to her feet, being sure not to touch any bruises that were bound to form any minute now. Lily began to look her up and down, making sure that there wasn't any blood. She was acting incredibly motherly, if you ask me about it.

The person that Yuri had run into was getting to their feet as well. Upon closer examination, I realized that it was a young man. He appeared to be in his twenties or thirties, but I couldn't quite say how old he was. His hair was dark, and his bangs clung close to his face, nearly entirely covering up his eyes. A brightly colored hat was perched on top of his head, the same colors of the hat that we had found the day before. A yellow propeller at the perfect center of the hat was perfectly still. It looked eerie. His eyes were dark brown and shrouded in shadow. His uniform was bright blue, red, and yellow, matching the hat he was wearing. A silver pinwheel was in his hand, also as still as the propeller on his head. He stared at Yuri for a moment before looking up to me, sending a shiver racing up and down my spine.

"Who are you?" the man asked in a deadpan and monotone voice. His gaze expressed no clear emotion, which only made him more terrifying to look at, if you want my opinion. It was downright terrifying.

"I'm Deirdre Brigit, the lead attorney on the murder case that took place not long ago," I explained before gesturing to Lily and Yuri. The latter was smearing her finger on Yuri's cheek to stop the bleeding from a cut that had formed. I got the feeling that a stray rock had been kicked up during the fall and hit her in the chaos. "This is Lily Shield and Yuri Rinko. They're my assistants in this investigation."

"I see," the man said next. His voice was still flat. I felt a shiver run up my spine once again. He began to spin his pinwheel. It was spinning at the same pace with each rotation. Despite there being no wind, it showed no signs of stopping. The man blew on it for a moment before looking back up at me. "Oh. Are you still here?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, I am still here," I told him. I was curious as to if his attention span was really so short, but I wasn't going to ask about it. That would undoubtedly be considered rude. "Who might you be?"

The man pressed one finger against a blade on the pinwheel. It stopped moving. He met my eyes just before he spoke. "Masa Stabbin," he responded. "I work here. I don't know if you should be here."

"Like I said, I'm working as an attorney on this case. I have to be here, Mr. Stabbin," I told him. I could feel my patience begin to creep away. I always considered myself a rather patient person, but I could already tell that this man was going to be a chore and a half to deal with. Not only was his attention span incredibly short, but he didn't seem inclined to say much of anything.

Mr. Stabbin stared at me for a minute before turning on his heel. "Bye," he muttered, ready to disappear from sight.

It was only when I grabbed his wrist that he stopped. He slowly turned around, a dull glare in his eyes. "Can you let me go now?" he asked, his voice edged with a bit of irritation. Mr. Stabbin slowly tried to pull on his arm, but I held too firm for him to make an attempt at escape. "Come on..."

"If you don't mind, sir, we need to talk to you a little bit longer," I told him. "We need to ask you about what you saw the day of the murder. Think about it this way: the sooner you talk to us, the sooner you can continue going about your business. Our work requires that we speak to you. The police will be willing to back us up. Mr. Stabbin, if it's alright with you, could you tell us about what you saw the day of the murder?"

Mr. Stabbin thought about it for a moment before sighing. His deep exhale caused the pinwheel he was holding to start spinning. "Fine," he grumbled unhappily. "Just start asking questions. The sooner you finish up, the sooner I can go home..."

Yuri and Lily finally walked back over after the fall. Yuri's cheek was red and inflamed thanks to the cut, but Lily was making sure that there wasn't any blood by brushing her thumb over the girl's cheek. Neither one of them said anything as I turned to Mr. Stabbin. "What were you doing at the time of the crime? Do you know if you have an alibi?" I asked of him.

"Alibi? Oh... Well, I was supposed to be managing the Ferris wheel... That's my job at the carnival. I make sure that little kids get on there without dying. If a small child while trying to enter a Ferris wheel car, we'd get sued. I need to prevent that from happening," Mr. Stabbin explained. "I was close when the explosion went off. I nearly died. The police don't seem to care. I don't either. Life is a train wreck anyways. Why be worried when you could just as easily ignore everything that the universe throws your way?"

I couldn't help but feel nervous and fearful of his nihilistic nature. Was he okay? Did he need to see a therapist? Would I be required to finally give a therapy session in court tomorrow? I would figure that out soon enough. For now, I had to take care of this conversation. "I see... Did you see anybody suspicious at the time? Is there anybody you know of who would have had a chance or a motive to cause an explosion like that? We believe that the culprit of the explosion worked here at the carnival. They wouldn't have had a chance to set up the bomb without being caught otherwise," I explained.

Mr. Stabbin thought for a moment. He began to look around aimlessly before letting out yet another sigh, sending the pinwheel spinning around and around once more. "I don't know. I don't talk to anybody around here. I'm just here for the summer to get some money before I go back to college. Rent is a pain in the neck. I need to take care of it somehow," he groaned. "I don't know why anybody would do it. I don't know why I'd talk to anybody else here either. Life is meaningless and has no point in the end. Why spend it with unpleasant people who don't care about you or anything to do with your life? It makes no sense. Humans are incredibly illogical, you know. Lawyers are some of the worst of the bunch. Why help out other people that have no bearing on the flow of your life? You would be fine without them. Just leave them behind. We are only here to suffer anyways. Holding it off just means that you'll endure even more pain when the end finally does come. It's the circle of depression."

"Are you okay?" Yuri asked. "You seem like you might need some mental health. Is it bad that this guy is sounding sort of like Chrysalis when she gets really sad?"

"Probably. There's a chance that they both might need assistance, but it isn't our place to meddle. Mr. Stabbin doesn't seem to want to associate with us anyways, so staying out of it might be for the best," Lily told her in response.

"Um... Mr. Stabbin, if you don't mind, is there anything else you can tell me about the time of the crime?" I asked, feeling more than a little awkward with his open pessimistic nature. I had met negative people before, but none of them seemed to come anywhere close to where this guy was on the spectrum of sadness and emotional turmoil.

"No... I saw the defendant pick up a remote... I was on break just before the bomb went off. It saved my life. I came back and saw that he was holding the remote... Do you want me to let you in on a little secret?" Mr. Stabbin asked, yawning slowly. Everything about him seemed to go in slow motion, like time was halved for only him.

"Yes, please," I nodded eagerly, praying that he'd finally be able to give us helpful information after his lengthy and dark speech.

"I went on break while somebody was on the Ferris wheel. It was a girl with white hair. She looked lost. After I let her on, I walked away and never came back. That was when I took my break. When I returned, the bomb had just gone off and debris was everywhere. The defendant was hanging out nearby with a remote in his hand. I think he caused the explosion," Mr. Stabbin went on. "I don't know for sure. I don't understand anything in this world. I know only the meaninglessness of life and the inevitability of death. Only those two facts are known. All else is a mystery that we need not get involved in. Leave life alone, or it will strike you down."

"You let a girl with white hair onto the Ferris wheel?" Lily echoed. She turned to Yuri with a gasp. "Didn't Cassidy have white hair? What if he let her onto the Ferris wheel before he took his break? That means that Mr. Morix couldn't have done it."

"What makes you say that?" Yuri questioned.

"I doubt that the common person can operate a Ferris wheel. While the stuff could look easy to use, it's much more difficult than you'd expect. Somehow, I don't think that Mr. Morix would be able to figure out how to work things if he just walked up to the booth randomly. Only somebody trained in this sort of work would be able to do it. That being said, he couldn't be the culprit," Lily declared, a grin of triumph on her face.

"That just leaves us with one problem. If we needed a carnival worker in order to get onto the Ferris wheel where she was, who did it?" Yuri asked. "It couldn't have been Mr. Morix, like you just said. Mr. Stabbin just mentioned that he left the scene shortly before the murder. That means that somebody else must have snuck into the area after they had gone to commit the crime."

"It must have been a carnival worker too. Only workers would know how to operate the Ferris wheel. Plus, if need be, they could cordon off the area and eliminate any potential witnesses. They'd have the authority to do so. The common person wouldn't have those chances," Lily went on. "But that still doesn't clear Mr. Morix of the explosion charges. He was in the area despite all of this. That shows that he's more suspicious now than ever. While this does clear him of the murder, it only digs a deeper hole for him regarding the explosion. If he's going to be let free, we need evidence to completely clear his name."

"We sort of started doing that during the trial. Since his fingerprints weren't on the button, he couldn't have set off the bomb. The evidence was coincidental that showed he set off the bomb," I cut in. "With this new testimony, we can also clear his name of the murder. We'll need to find another potential suspect if we want our argument to be as sound as possible, so it's time to get back to looking around."

I turned back to Mr. Stabbin, ready to thank him for his help. However, I realized that he was gone. He had likely run off during my conversation with Lily and Yuri. That didn't surprise me, given the way that he had been talking to us before. I would be able to see him during the trial tomorrow. If I mentioned him to Prosecutor Kalles or Prosecutor Wood the next time I saw one of them, they would be able to find him and call him as a witness when court went back into session. I hadn't run into either one of them yet, but it was just a matter of time at this point.

"Who was that?"

Yuri, Lily, and I all turned upon hearing the voice. Ms. Mercure was walking closer, her hands shoved into her pockets. "Hey," she said when she noticed our surprise. "You don't need to look so shocked. I was going to run into you all again eventually. We sort of have to talk about what happened during the trial today, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, of course we do. We have a few questions for you regarding the case," I confirmed.

"Then shoot. I don't mind answering them. Just tell me who that guy was that you were talking to before. I'm curious. I don't remember seeing him around here yesterday. Did he mention anything about not being at the carnival yesterday?" Ms. Mercure asked.

I shook my head. "No, he didn't," I replied. "He said that he was working the Ferris wheel at the time of the crime. After letting the victim onto the Ferris wheel, he left to go on his break. When he came back, the bomb had just gone off. He claimed to have seen Mr. Morix holding the remote for the explosive in his hand, just like you mentioned yesterday."

Ms. Mercure paused for a moment before shaking her head. "No, that can't be possible. I could have sworn that it was just Mr. Morix and me there at the time. I didn't see anybody else, weird carnival worker or otherwise," she told me firmly. "I'd swear that on my life. It was just me and Mr. Morix. Nobody else was there. I looked around the area afterwards, and I didn't see hind nor hair of anybody. We were alone."

"That's rather peculiar, especially given that he just asserted the opposite... Do you have any ideas where this discrepancy could have come from?" I questioned.

"He must be lying to you for some reason. Tell me a few other things about what he told you. Any details that you can give will be welcome," Ms. Mercure said next, crossing her arms. Her eyes shut not long after, likely so that she could think without being distracted.

"He told us that he was here at the crime scene yesterday. His name is Masa Stabbin. He's working here for the summer as the manager for the carnival. After letting a 'white-haired girl' onto the Ferris wheel, who we assumed was Cassidy Rinko, he went on his break. I get the feeling that he isn't entirely there, so maybe it's in character for him to let somebody onto the Ferris wheel only to leave not long after," I explained.

"Yeah, but wouldn't somebody at the very least say that the Ferris wheel was closed before leaving like that? It makes no sense. Something about this whole situation is fishy. Not only did he lie about having seen Mr. Morix, but this... Be careful with trusting him. I don't think he's being entirely honest with you," Ms. Mercure said cautiously.

"I was sort of thinking something similar. If he supposedly went on break, then that would have effectively trapped Cassidy on the Ferris wheel. Regardless of if she was the only one on there, that's dangerous. If something had gone wrong, she could have very easily been hurt. By leaving like that, he put her in danger," Yuri cut in with a frown.

"I guess that we were too excited about what he was saying to really think about it. If he left the Ferris wheel, that means that somebody else must have been operating it when Cassidy was stabbed, likely a carnival worker. Normal people can't exactly operate a Ferris wheel like that. It takes training to do something of that nature, training that Mr. Morix doesn't exactly have," Lily remarked. "We were too focused on thinking that he could have done it to think about that stuff."

"He put somebody at risk by leaving at an inopportune moment and lied about seeing the defendant at the scene of the murder. If you ask me, we're going to need to question him again and see if he's really telling the truth about all of this," Ms. Mercure frowned. "Something tells me that he's more than your regularly suspicious witness. This all just makes him too sadistic and dishonest for that. Lying is one thing, but leaving somebody unattended on a Ferris wheel, with nobody there to guide them to safety should something go wrong, is a completely different thing, and it's arguably much worse. In fact, if my assumptions are correct, then he could very easily be the culprit that we've been looking for."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally back after being gone for a few days due to a school trip. Nice.
> 
> I'm going to post this and then go catch up on homework and type a few chapters of the rewrite, so I'll see you later.
> 
> -Digital


	37. The Festive Turnabout, Part 7

**July 20**

**Happy House Carnival**

**1:30 PM**

**Lily Shield**

"So let's assume that you're right for a moment," I began to say, placing one hand under my chin. "If you are, that means that the culprit in this case is Mr. Stabbin. That means that we're going to have to find other evidence to show that Mr. Morix isn't the one we've been searching for. It would be rather hypocritical of us to accuse Mr. Stabbin of this case and then turn around before using his testimony against him and for us. Plus, the court could try to disprove it. Without outside evidence, then the prosecution could claim that he was lying about it. Our case would fall to pieces after that."

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right," Deirdre frowned. "We're going to need something more substantial. Ms. Mercure, do you have anything that we'd be able to use in this situation?"

"Like I already mentioned, he was lying about having seen Mr. Morix at the scene of the crime. It was just me and him there. He was never in the area. Mr. Morix was only holding the remote for a total of roughly fifteen seconds. I doubt that he could have seen him doing such and then run away. Anybody would struggle with running any large distance in that time. If he glimpsed something so crucial for so brief a time in the first place, then there would be issues regarding its reliability. In a nutshell, you now have multiple ways to disprove his testimony," Ms. Mercure replied. "Plus, if I think about things a little bit more... Maybe he confirmed his guilt in a way. He said that he left the Ferris wheel to go on break for a little bit after letting Cassidy on. Maybe we can use that to our advantage. If we can, then his words can be twisted to our uses. The prosecution can't exactly refute something of that nature. It doesn't work that way."

"If he said something like a confession and we use that, then the prosecution can't claim he was lying since he told us of his own free will," nodded Yuri. "I think I get what you're saying. If we use his words to show that Mr. Morix didn't do it and accuse him in the same breath, the prosecution could say that something is up about the situation. As much as I hate to admit it, that would be correct. However, if we say that a phrase was like a confession, that could go over a bit better."

"Of course, there are no guarantees with any of this. Everything is just pure speculation at this point. Don't try and use this in court for sure. Evidence is everything in court. That's the one thing that I've learned the past few months," Ms. Mercure frowned. "Perhaps you should look around a little bit more. I should go and talk to the prosecution a little bit more. I want them to know that you spoke with Mr. Stabbin. Plus, I can communicate what he told you to them. They're more likely to believe it from a fellow witness and neutral party than their opposition, you know?"

Deirdre nodded. "Alright. Go on and take care of that. We'll make sure that we have enough evidence to show that Mr. Morix didn't commit the crime. Thank you for talking to us today, Ms. Mercure. Any testimony from you regarding the case will be incredibly helpful, should you remember anything else. Feel free to come to us anytime," she said with a small yet graceful smile.

Ms. Mercure suddenly let out a gasp. "Oh yeah! The reason I was a bit late to the crime scene was because I was off saying hello to someone. I'm sure that you know her. Well, of course you do. She works with you guys at Morix Law Offices. Chrysalis Starr," she told us. "I heard that you guys were having trouble reaching her yesterday. I went over to the agency after the trial to talk to her a little bit. She was doing fine, so you don't need to worry much about her. She'll be okay after her brother comes back."

Yuri's eyes went wide in shock. "You were able to go and talk to her? Consider me impressed. Chrysalis is as good as a hermit when she gets upset like this. You deserve a high-five for sure," she murmured before extending her arm out in Ms. Mercure's direction.

Ms. Mercure smiled in satisfaction and clapped her hand against Yuri's palm. "I'm just glad I was able to help you out. Now, you had better make sure that her brother gets acquitted in court tomorrow. She's going to be like that forever if you can't get him out of the detention center," she told us. "Anyways, I should get going. I'll see you guys around a little bit later. Tell me how the investigation goes!"

Ms. Mercure turned on her heel and began to walk away, hands shoved in her pockets. Deirdre, Yuri, and I all watched as she disappeared from sight. Once she was gone, we all turned to face one another. "So what should we get to next? We need to find some form of evidence that Mr. Morix didn't commit this crime. Any evidence at this point could become crucial."

"Maybe we should go back by the crime scene," suggested Yuri.

"I don't know if we'll have to do that. We should see about finding Detective Wattson. She did forensics tests on the hat that we found yesterday. It might be wise to ask if the team has found anything else in the area that we could use. Why go searching for evidence immediately when our crucial piece may have already been found?" Deirdre asked.

I nodded. "Okay. Let's go and do that then. Plus, she could have something on Mr. Stabbin already. If so, then we can take that information as well." I shot a glance down at Yuri, my eyes locking on the cut on her cheek. "A bandage wouldn't hurt at all either..."

Yuri puffed out her cheeks. "Lily, I'm fine. A little cut never killed anybody. It's not like I was stabbed twenty-seven times in the chest. I just got hit by a rock," she whined. She crossed her arms and sighed. "You treat me like I'm a little kid. I'm not. I'm a whole fourteen years old."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her body. "Aw... You're so cute!" I gushed. "Even if you're technically not a little kid, you're still the baby of the agency, being only fourteen. Even Chrysalis is old in comparison to you, Yuri."

Yuri struggled to pull away from my embrace. When she finally wormed her way out, she shot me an angry glance and an eye roll. I ignored her anger and giggled to myself. Deirdre smiled gently at the exchange, but she didn't say anything. A small laugh left her lips.

"Anyways, we have to do some investigation!" Yuri exclaimed, clearly desperate to change the subject away from her obvious youth. I could have sworn that I saw a dusting of pink rise in her cheeks. "Let's get to looking around. If we're unprepared for the trial tomorrow, either the prosecution or Chrysalis will fry us. No matter which one it is, we're as good as screwed if we keep messing around like this. You guys know that."

"Okay, maybe you're right. Let's get focused on looking around," I agreed. "Do you think that the detective will be over by where the body was found? If you ask me, that might be the most logical place to look..."

"I agree. I bet that she's over in that vicinity as well," Yuri nodded. "Let's head on over there. She has to have something for us, right? I would be surprised if the police hadn't found anything since this investigation kicked off a few hours ago."

We made our way over to the area near the Ferris wheel in silence. I got the feeling they were thinking about potential solutions for this case. I couldn't think of anything, so I eventually gave up on trying to come up with things. I was sure that we'd be able to get something to use by the time we finished up at the carnival, so I wasn't exactly worried.

Sure enough, we found Detective Wattson standing by where the body had been discovered. The tape outline was covered up by the debris from the Ferris wheel, but she didn't seem to be focused on it. Instead, she was on the phone. She was holding up her cell phone with her shoulder. She murmured a few words into the phone before letting out a sigh. Detective Wattson pulled the phone away from her cheek and ended the call she was on. Judging by the way she was carrying herself, she was disappointed about something.

"Hello, Detective Wattson," Deirdre said to break the awkward silence surrounding the detective.

The second that she realized we were there, Detective Wattson's demeanor changed entirely. She began to smile brightly as she walked over to us. "Hello there, loves. Are you here to look around for potential evidence?" she asked, though I got the feeling that she already knew the answer.

I nodded. "We need to find something to show that the defendant didn't commit the crime," I explained. "Any evidence that you have will be much appreciated. Well, assuming that you have something..."

Her cheery disposition dissipated. She shook her head and looked down. "I don't have a thing. I was just on the phone with the forensics team. They could have sworn that they found something, but in the end, it was just a mistake in their science. We can't find anything in the area. There's only one useful piece of evidence that we have to use at this point, which would be the hat. However, there isn't any other way that we can think of to use the hat in the trial tomorrow. As unfortunate as it is, there isn't anything else to use tomorrow. I'm sorry about that," she told us sadly.

Yuri smiled brightly in her direction. "It's okay!" she chirped at the kind detective. "I'm sure that we can figure something out regardless of if you have anything new or not. Though I am a bit surprised you didn't have anything..."

"If we're being perfectly honest, I am as well. I was anticipating some other news to have come to light by now, but it seems that wasn't meant to be. This case is somewhat lacking in evidence in comparison to other cases that have taken place in the past. The issue here is the explosion. It destroyed the crime scene, which we theorize was a Ferris wheel car, which means not much exactly remains for us to look into," Detective Wattson told us, shaking her head slightly. "It's unfortunate, but we'll have to make do with it for the time being."

"That's okay. I'm sure that we can figure something else," Yuri assured her, but despite this, I got the feeling that she was at least a little bit disappointed that there wasn't anything that we could use from her. I was a bit upset about it as well, but we would have to go along with it. Besides, it's not like it was really her fault. The crime scene went up in smoke the day of the explosion. Nothing could have salvaged a small Ferris wheel car in a huge explosion like that. As irritating as it was, that was just the way of this case.

"Do you have any ideas on what else we could do?" asked Deirdre, closing her eyes in thought. "I'm sure that there's something for us to use around here... If there isn't any physical evidence, there has to be some form of logic that can be used in this situation."

"I can't think of anything, but there must be something. Mr. Morix couldn't have done it. There is always an explanation for why somebody did or didn't do something. While we can't exactly take the words of either suspect for what they are due to the laws of the courtroom, there's something else we can use for sure," Yuri remarked.

"Wait a moment... About the hat that we found... That doesn't exactly match up with the facts," I cut in. "If that hat belongs to Mr. Stabbin, who we have as a prime suspect, then that makes no sense. Assuming that every carnival worker only gets to have one hat, then why does he still have a hat? If he's the culprit, then he must have dropped it at the scene of the crime."

"I don't know who it is you're talking about, pet, but I do know something about the hats they use here. While every employee is normally given one, there are more. The hats that they use here have been discontinued since they began being put into use. To keep from going through the supply, the hats are all kept in a storeroom near the Ferris wheel. Unfortunately, it was absolutely destroyed in the explosion since it was behind the Ferris wheel. It's off the grounds open to visitors. Only staff is allowed back there," Detective Wattson told us. "There's always the possibility that somebody went there the day of the crime."

"I had no idea there was an area behind the Ferris wheel. I thought it was just open grass that nobody was allowed on," Deirdre remarked, her eyes wide.

"Not exactly. That building is always here regardless of if there's a carnival in town or not. It's been abandoned after talk of hauntings and ghosts spread about. However, the carnival uses it anyways as a supply area. Extra supplies for rides, extra uniforms, and extra hats are all kept in that area. Most of the time, it's off limits to the employees as well. The bosses don't want anybody getting into the hats since they've been discontinued," Detective Wattson went on. "A Ferris wheel car fell into the building with the explosion. It was nearly entirely burned to the ground in the chaos. Luckily, there was nobody else in the area, so nobody was killed in the fire that ensued."

"It sounds to me like we should pay this place a visit," Deirdre suggested.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," frowned Detective Wattson. "Like I mentioned, the place has been burned to the ground. Nothing has been left behind. Also, upon further examination, every single employee at the carnival still has their hat. Nobody lost theirs, the day of the crime or otherwise. The case of the extra hat could have something to do with the burned storeroom though. I'll leave that to you to determine. I should probably head down to the precinct. Just before you all arrived, I was on the one with somebody from the forensics team. The head of this case's forensic analyses, Jasper Kent, wants to talk to me about the case. I trust that you won't do any meddling."

"Honestly, what even is there to meddle with? This place is a bit of a mess," Yuri said with a shrug. "I mean, this area is covered in pieces of concrete and metal from a falling Ferris wheel. I don't think that there's much to mess with now that the body, hat, and picture have been taken away to be evidence for the case."

"Oh yeah. There's that picture," I remarked as Detective Wattson waved and walked away. "It has eight people in it, right? I think I heard Yuri mention it yesterday at some point."

"That's right. I swung by the agency after our investigation to pick up a few things I had forgotten in all the chaos and ran into you," Yuri nodded in recollection. "I remember that. Yeah, there is a photo that was found at the scene of the crime. It has eight people in it. It was taken during a case two years ago at a factory."

Ilet out a small gasp. "That picture might have been used in the case on the lake. There was a picture of eight people that was taken after a case at a factory found near the body in that case too. In the end, it was the crucial piece of evidence used to seal away the culprit once all had been said and done. In a way, I guess that we owe a lot to that picture," I told them. "You probably remember that. If I recall correctly, you all were in the gallery during that case watching over me."

"We were. We saw everything that happened since we were curious about the case you and Chrysalis were on," Deirdre said. "Anyways, I don't know how that picture could possibly involve this case. It was found next to the victim, sure, but I don't think there's any other way it could be pulled into this mystery. Maybe it was there just by coincidence."

"That's a possibility. I can't say for sure. I don't think anybody can," Yuri muttered with a shake of her head. "I wish I knew the reason for that picture. I mean, I was there for that case, but I don't know a thing about the picture."

"What?" Deirdre asked in shock.

"I was there for the case. I was one of the assault victims in that mess of a case. Anton was there too, but for some reason, neither one of us was notified that the photo was being taken. I didn't end up hearing about it until after the fact. I asked Venus why she was keeping a photo on her desk. She never did that since she always hated pictures. When she answered, she said it was because that was an important thing to her. I don't know why it was so vital to her, but I guess we can try and figure it out another way. There are still five other people we can ask about it. While three of the people in the picture are unable to answer our questions, we can have the others get in on it," Yuri explained.

"All of this is incredibly suspicious, if you ask me. If something really is wrong regarding the picture and why Yuri didn't know about it, then why didn't she hear of the picture before it was taken? It seems odd that somebody would leave out their own sister in an important picture," I frowned.

"I guess that we can figure something else out about it later on," Deirdre said. "I don't know if we'll be able to figure it out at the moment. For now, we have an investigation to continue."

"An investigation? I don't know about that. There's nothing at the crime scene, no new evidence, and we talked to the only other witness. Plus, we also had a little chat with Detective Wattson regarding the storeroom and learned more about the explosion. I can't really think of much else that we still need to hear about. Unless one of you can come up with something, I'd probably consider us finished for the time being," Yuri remarked. "Maybe it's about time for us to go and talk to Mr. Morix about what we've found so far. He definitely wants to hear about all of this. He'll be really happy to learn that we have a suspect in mind too."

"That sounds alright with me," I nodded. "Plus, he's one of the people that was in that picture found near the body. Maybe he can tell us more about it, such as why Yuri was missing at the time. If there are no objections in the courtroom, let's go and do it."

Deirdre chuckled lightly at my joke. "I don't have any issues with it. Yuri, you're the one who suggested it, so I'm going to assume that you're okay with the change of location too."

"You don't even have to ask. I just want to know why I was left out of the picture like that. It makes no sense. I'm a good kid. I don't like being excluded, and I shouldn't have been," Yuri asserted, placing her hands on her hips. "Whoever proposed leaving me out is going to get a sound thrashing when I find out who it is."

"Down, girl," I told her with a small smile. Yuri rolled her eyes, but I could tell that she was doing it in good fun, so I didn't poke or prod her for it. "I'll meet you guys there. Since I came in my own car, I can go in that. Until we meet again, try to avoid the impending disaster the witness was preaching about."

I could hear them chuckling as we parted ways, which brought a smile to my face. Despite the tense situation, we were getting along pretty well.

**July 20**

**Detention Center**

**2:30 PM**

**Yuri Rinko**

Mr. Morix was already sitting on the other side of the glass when we arrived. His head was resting on his arms as he looked down at the counter before him. I could tell that he was asleep. I tapped on the glass, which stirred him into consciousness. "Hey," he remarked simply as a yawn left his mouth. "I'm glad to see that you're back. You must have news about the investigation for me, right? I can't think of any other reason that you would be here."

"As a matter of fact, there is a reason that we're here," I told him with a frown. "There's a certain picture that you left me out of. I have beef with you because of that, Cotoli Morix. You will feel my fury, all 4'11 of my fury."

Mr. Morix stared at me in confusion. I could have sworn that I saw a little bit of shock in his eyes as well, likely due to being addressed by his full name. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he said, blinking as he tried to come to terms with the bright light of the room. That was what he got for sleeping on the job and excluding me! As soon as he got out of there, I'd have to punch him! Well, I say punch him, but I really mean tap him lightly on the arm. I don't have the strength to do much else.

"Two years ago, there was a case at a factory. While there, then there was a picture taken of you and seven other people. Those people are Venus Rinko, Cassidy Rinko, Chrysalis Starr, Sora Lin, Pieter Fury, Ghastly Bespoke, and Polly Bloom. Does that ring a bell?" asked Lily, going into a serious interrogation persona. While she was probably trying to come off as solemn, it just seemed goofy and fun in my eyes regardless of her intentions. Don't judge me for that. I just know when goofy things are happening. Call it my superpower or something.

"Ah, I remember that picture," Mr. Morix nodded. "It was taken after GC-9, one of the worst cases that I have ever worked on, if not the worst because of all its aftershocks." He sighed and looked down. "GC-9 did nothing but cause grief for everyone involved. Five people were injured, one was killed, and on top of that, it brought about the Oracle of the Law project. There aren't many other cases I can think of that have had so many negative impacts, which says quite a bit, if we're being perfectly honest..."

"Wow... I knew the case was bad, but I didn't realize it was this awful," Deirdre whispered with a shake of her head. "Regardless, we aren't exactly here to just talk about that murder. We want to hear about the picture you took. A copy of it was found at the scene of the crime."

"I didn't know about that... Then again, it's not like I know much about the case as the suspect. I spend all my time locked up in here with no extended knowledge of the trial set to decide my fate. It isn't exactly the best system, if you want my personal opinion. Granted, opinions don't exactly matter much in the court of law, but it's not like I have much else at my disposal," Mr. Morix said. "Anyways, tell me what you need to know about the picture. Chances are that I can give you an answer. I know pretty much all there is to know about that picture."

"For some reason, last month, it was found at the scene of the crime, but not exactly because of regular reasons. It was found in a bag of evidence regarding the Oracle off the Law. I don't know why though. Do you have any idea as to why somebody would have it?" Lily asked. "The defendant, Neptune Mercure, was investigating potential leads as to who the Oracle of the Law could be. Why would a picture like that be with evidence to find Oracle?"

I shot her a pouting glance. I had wanted to ask why I was left out of the picture first, but I was just going to have to wait. Fine. Even if I had to wait, I wasn't going to forget. I was just going to be even more angry when I finally did get my answer.

"Well, a few months ago, there was the murder case at the prison. That was when Yuri was the one behind these bars. During that case, there was an announcement over the intercom of the courthouse when somebody from the Occisor group declared that the case was the origin of the Oracle of the Law project. I suspect that she was trying to gather up as much evidence as possible regarding the case to try and learn more," Mr. Morix replied. "I don't know why else she would want to have something like that. I think she and Cassidy were friends, so Cassidy could have given her a copy if she had asked about it at any point. They seemed to be close nearly instantly, and Cassidy was always the trusting type, so I can't see her denying a request such as that. If you were looking for a breakthrough in the case, I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"That's alright. We did say that any information would be helpful," Deirdre remarked, but I could see a frown on her face.

It took me a moment to understand what was happening. It wasn't until Mr. Morix spoke again that I understood.

"I'm afraid that photo has nothing to do with Oracle aside from being associated with the same case," he told us with a shake of his head. "If you were hoping for something more, it seems the universe is out to disappoint you. My apologies for that."

A little pang at the back of my head told me that he was lying. I had always been good at detecting when people were being dishonest. That was what made me so good at work like this. Of course, it always worked better with people that I knew well, so Mr. Morix wasn't exactly immune to my special skills.

Before we could ask anything else, a young man appeared through the door out into the hallway. He looked to be rather nervous. "Um... The detectives need to question you again. Sorry to cut this meaning short..." he whispered.

Mr. Morix smiled at him. "It's alright." He turned back to us next. "Sorry our meeting was cut short. How about we talk more about this tomorrow? I can do it before or after the trial, whichever one is better for you. Call it gut instinct, but I think this questioning session is going to take quite a while."

Lily nodded. "Okay. We'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Morix," she said, waving as he rose to his feet and walked out of the room.

After he was gone, her arm dropped. Her lips curved downwards into a frown. "Something was wrong with him during that conversation," she murmured. Lily took off a necklace that was around her neck, showing the charm, which looked like half of a yin-yang symbol, to Deirdre and me. "Do either one of you know what this is? Did I ever tell you about it?"

"It's a Magatama," I said. "Chrysalis and Cotoli both have one. They say that it's a relic charged with spiritual power that can show if people are lying. It can be used to unlock the secrets within somebody's heart."

"Exactly," Lily nodded. "This charm shows me locks over a person if they're being dishonest. They're called Psyche-Locks. I see them sometimes during investigations, but I don't always bring them up. The truth comes out in court more often than not. Plus, pressing people outside of court in an unstable environment without armed guards can be risky to your health if they grow violent, you know?"

"I get what you're saying, but why does that matter right now?" I asked. I already knew what she was about to say, but part of me was still trying to deny it. I didn't want to believe that what she was saying was true.

"I saw Psyche-Locks on Mr. Morix while we were talking to him about the photo. I can't say anything for sure on the matter, but if you ask me, something was going through his head, and he was lying," Lily told us. "Again, I can't say anything and be perfectly positive of it, but if you ask me, there's only one reason that he would have Psyche-Locks while talking about how Oracle relates to that case. Mr. Morix knows how the Oracle ties into the murder better than most people, and that photo has a lot to do with them. They're probably in that picture, and Mr. Morix knows who they are."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not accidentally forget to post this until the last minute no of course not what are you saying--
> 
> I swear I have a good memory
> 
> -Digital


	38. The Festive Turnabout, Part 8

**July 21**

**Defendant Lobby No. 5**

**9:35 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

I hadn't been able to stop thinking about what Lily had told us the day before. As I paced the length of the defendant lobby, her words rang in my head over and over again. I wished more than anything that I could banish the phrase from my memory, but it didn't seem like that was going to be possible.

Yuri watched from nearby as I continued to walk around the room. "Are you feeling okay? You look sick," she said, though I got the feeling that she already knew what was on my mind. Judging by the way she was looking at me, she was thinking about it as well.

"I can't help but think about what Lily told us. If Mr. Morix really does know who the Oracle of the Law is, then that begs many questions. Did he figure it out on his own? Is he an accomplice in the project? Why would he get involved with something so dangerous?" I asked, stopping in my pacing at last. I shook my head slowly. "What do you think about it, Yuri? You've known him for longer, so this must come as a huge shock."

Yuri shrugged. "You could say that. I've been trying not to think about it. I don't know what I can say about all of this. I expected this as much as the next person, which is to say not at all. Mr. Morix never struck me as the type to be involved with a top-secret spy," she told me. "Chrysalis would probably be the only person to pick up on it, but she never let any hints about something like that sneak out. Because of that, I don't think that she knows about this."

"Regardless of if she knows or not, there's another person who had to know about it. Actually, two people must have known about it," I frowned, worried about what Yuri would think of what I was about to say. I couldn't quite say for sure how she would react to this...

"I know who you mean. You're talking about Venus and Cassidy," frowned Yuri. "I remembered that they factor into this equation. They've all been working alongside the Oracle, so they know who it is. It's scary how they were all involved in this, probably for years, but I didn't have a clue... It makes you feel awkward and bad, like you should have picked up on it after being with them for so many years. I don't know quite how to describe that sort of feeling, just that it's absolutely rotten. Sorry if I seem like I'm rambling, but I'm trying my best."

"No, I understand," I nodded to her. "This must all be overwhelming, given the fact that you were in the dark for so long. I imagine that Chrysalis will feel the same one day."

"All of this is so confusing!" Yuri cried out. "I wish we understood all of this!"

"I'm sure we will one day, but until then, all we can do is try to figure out what's going on," I told her. "We need to focus on the case for now. Mr. Morix needs to be proven innocent before we can think about any of this. All the theorizing in the world will be pointless if we don't show that he's innocent. He'll end up in prison before everything can be resolved."

"That's true. Speaking of Mr. Morix, we can't tell him about this. He can't know that we're getting suspicious," Yuri said with a frown. "He'll hide his secrets even more if he thinks that we're catching on which means that we'll never be able to find the truth. Lily will probably be getting here any minute now, so we can tell her to keep quiet about it too."

"Speaking of Lily, here she is," I said, pointing past Yuri to the door. As if on cue, Lily was walking in. She glanced around for Mr. Morix before heading on over to us. "Hi, Lily," I greeted her.

Lily waved in response. "Hello, Deirdre, Yuri," she said with a polite nod. She only had to look at us for a moment before she realized what we were thinking. "You're still thinking about Mr. Morix, aren't you? Man, I was up all night trying to think about it. I don't want to believe that the answer has been in plain sight all this time, but at the same time, I know what I saw yesterday. There isn't any other solid explanation for why he would have Psyche-Locks like that."

"How many did he have?" Yuri asked.

"Can you explain a bit more about these Locks you mentioned?" I questioned. "I'm afraid I don't know much on the matter..."

"Psyche-Locks can be seen on somebody when they're talking about something they're hiding. It can be incredibly useful, but at the same time, you need to talk about what they're hiding, so it can be a bit nitpicky," Lily began. "There are three types. The red ones are for regular secrets. The larger the secret, the more Psyche-Locks that will appear. There can be up to five. The black ones are about secrets regarding trauma. They mostly come in sets of five. If somebody has been traumatized, their Locks will be black.

"The final type is a mix of the two, anywhere between bright red and pitch black. Mr. Morix's fell into this category. They were mostly black, but there were red tints. That means that it's both a large secret and a traumatizing situation. These can come in any amount, but he had five.

"Normally, red Locks or those close to red can be broken through regular conversation and loosening of the tongue. Black Locks can cause emotional trauma if broken by force. They're dangerous. If you aren't capable, the bearer of the Locks is at risk for permanent psychological damage. In a nutshell, we'll have to be cautious. Being too blunt could break the Locks by force, which is anything but good."

"So, something to do with Oracle has left him traumatized," I whispered. "And it must have been recent as well since Oracle only appeared two years ago."

"Oracle has something to do with that picture as well as the case at the factory. One of the aftershocks left him in an awful mental state to cause those Locks. We shouldn't talk to him about it yet. We need more information before we can approach him," Yuri declared.

"I agree. For now, let's keep quiet. When we think we're ready to talk to him, we all need to come together. We're going to need my Magatama and Deirdre's psychological prowess to help him," Lily nodded.

"He's walking over," Yuri hissed. "We can talk about this later. Act like this conversation never happened."

Mr. Morix appeared near us not long after, his hands shoved into his pockets. "Hello," he said simply, a small but weary smile on his face. "You all seem focused."

"We're ready for today's trial. We're going to prove your innocence no matter what!" Yuri exclaimed with a wide and bright grin. "We have a suspect and everything. It's all in our hands."

"I'm glad to hear that," Mr. Morix told her. "I'm a little late, so we don't exactly have much time to talk. There was a traffic jam on the highway. We barely have five minutes to chat before the trial starts..."

"Don't you worry one little bit, Mr. Morix. We have a suspect and some evidence to show that he did it. We're going to have to contend with a few irritating pieces of evidence, as well as the general lack of evidence, but we'll be fine," Yuri smiled.

A tap came on my shoulder, making me turn to see a purple-haired bailiff nearby. "The trial is about to begin. You all should head into the courtroom," he told us.

"Thanks, KJ," Yuri grinned, waving at the young man. He waved in response before disappearing into the courtroom.

"I'll be counting on you," Mr. Morix said with a curt nod. He went into the courtroom not long after, leaving Lily, Yuri, and me behind in the defendant lobby.

"Let's talk about this after the trial. We can meet up somewhere and continue our discussion," Lily whispered to me and Yuri.

"Alright," I responded. Yuri nodded from beside me. "We'll see you after the trial to figure something out."

Lily nodded and dashed off to the gallery. Yuri and I shared a knowing glance before walking into the courtroom ourselves. I somehow was more worried about the potential impacts of talking with Mr. Morix on the matter than the trial itself. The thought that he was involved with Oracle was a greater cause for concern in my eyes. It was going to be difficult to push that from my mind to pull off a victory, but I didn't have much of a choice if we wanted to crack this mystery.

**July 21**

**Courtroom No. 5**

**10:00 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

I glanced around the courtroom after we had arrived inside. Prosecutor Wood was on the other side of the courtroom, fiddling around with the papers on the bench before her. Prosecutor Kalles was beside her, staring with a glossy gaze down at the bench as well. Upon seeing them, I realized that I hadn't seen them at all during the trial. I internally hoped that Ms. Mercure had been given the chance to talk to them about the witness from yesterday. Mr. Stabbin's testimony would not have gone over quite as well if they didn't already know about what he had told us. It could easily change the course of the trial if she didn't get around to it. We'd figure it out soon enough with the way they conducted the trial.

Judge Frost picked up her gavel and banged it down against the podium in front of her. "Court is now in session for the trial of Cotoli Morix," she declared. "Yesterday, I gave the defense and prosecution time to investigate the crime scene to find further evidence. I trust that both sides learned as much as they could in the time allotted for such an investigation."

"We did find quite a bit, Your Honor," I nodded. "We even discovered a new witness that told us a few more facts about the case, specifically regarding the explosion."

Prosecutor Kalles spoke up next. "Speaking of that witness, we're going to be calling him up to the stand a little later on in the trial. For the time being, however, the prosecution wishes to call the detective in charge of the case to testify. More information on the case has come to light recently. It was kept quiet at first since it was unknown if it would at all be involved in the murder, but with the recent investigation, the police department has decided to share this information to the court. Do we have your permission to call such a witness, Your Honor?" she asked.

"Of course," nodded Judge Frost.

With that having been said, Detective Wattson appeared at the witness stand. I got the feeling that she was going to be telling us about the incident with the storeroom behind the Ferris wheel. Since the place had been completely destroyed with the explosion, it wasn't surprising to me that it had been left out. If you looked at it plainly, it seemed impossible that a place like that could possibly have any important evidence. However, now, I got the feeling the storeroom had something to do with the murder. The extra supplies fact in particular stuck out to me, but I didn't quite have the opportunity to express my thoughts yet. When Mr. Stabbin approached the witness stand later on, I could explain my thought process and hopefully free Mr. Morix from the detention center.

"Please state your name and occupation," said Prosecutor Wood. She was looking better than she had yesterday, but something still seemed off about her. I suspected that she was just nervous, which was to be understood given that she was so young, but still she was standing as a prosecutor in a murder case.

"I'm Vera Wattson, a homicide detective at the local precinct," Detective Wattson told the court. "I have a little bit of crucial information to share with you all here. Should I get right into it?"

"Go right ahead," nodded Prosecutor Kalles. "We're listening loud and clear."

"I guess Detective Wattson told them about the storeroom," Yuri whispered. "I mean, how else would they know about it?"

"It's not surprising. If she was willing to share about it with us, she was going to talk to them about it eventually. In fact, I'm pretty sure that she's required as a detective to tell them anything that she learns about the murder as the lead detective," I replied. "As of right now, all we can really do is go along with it. If we see an inconsistency, we can blow it wide open, but until then, let's stay quiet about it. I get the feeling the storeroom will be critical in revealing that Mr. Morix didn't commit this crime, so we can't reveal our ace card too soon. Prosecutor Kalles can come up with a rebuttal if she gets the time, so we simply can't give her that chance."

"Alright. Let's listen for now," Yuri murmured. I nodded before turning back to Detective Wattson.

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ What Lies Beyond the Ferris Wheel ~**

_\- "The carnival may not be here all the time, but there is one thing that stays in place all year."_

_\- "Normally, the building near where the carnival is set up is abandoned with no real purpose."_

_\- "The carnival uses it as a storeroom for extra supplies while it's in town."_

_\- "When the explosion took place, part of the Ferris wheel fell backwards onto the storeroom, which is located just outside the boundaries of the carnival."_

_\- "It caught on fire and was completely destroyed, which is why it was kept out of the case yesterday since everyone was sure it was uninvolved."_

_\- "The storeroom is filled with all sorts of tools, such as spare hats and uniforms, or other important props used throughout the carnival, like for the daily stage shows in another part of the carnival."_

_\- "Not much of it is left, but if Prosecutor Kalles told me to testify about it, the storeroom must be important to the case."_

_\- "Also, nobody was allowed in the storeroom aside from the managers, none of whom went inside on the day of the murder, if you feel that's an important fact to know."_

I placed one hand on my chin as she finished her testimony. I hadn't heard about that last little part. She had told us that normal employees weren't allowed inside, but I had never been told that nobody had gone inside the day of the murder...

"The storeroom was behind the Ferris wheel? Why were we not informed about this yesterday?" demanded Judge Frost, something akin to a glare forming in her eyes. "All information involving a murder case is important, detective. You should know that."

"I wasn't exactly aware of the existence of the storeroom until recently. The initial investigation team didn't bring it up at first. Since it was outside the boundaries of the carnival, I didn't realize it was present until yesterday's investigation. I apologize for the inconvenience," Detective Wattson told her.

"I don't know how exactly we're going to deal with this. If you ask me, there had to have been somebody who went into the storeroom that day," Yuri whispered.

"How did you learn that nobody entered the storeroom the day of the crime?" I questioned. "Did a witness tell you this much?"

"We got something much more reliable than a witness. It wasn't until late last night that I heard, but as it turns out, there was a camera in the storeroom for making sure nobody tried to break in. The footage was stored on the tape inside of the camera, but on top of that, another copy of the data was made in the security room in another part of the carnival. The footage was reviewed last night. Nobody entered the room at all the day of the crime. It showed no signs of being tampered with either. The last time somebody went into the storeroom was three days before the victim's death, and even then, it was a manager with proper clearance inside," Detective Wattson replied.

"That's not good," Yuri sighed. "Plus, it doesn't make any sense. Don't we have a piece of evidence that can refute what she just said? I don't think we have any choice but to bring it up. Regardless of if it bears fruit or not, we must try, right?"

I nodded. "I don't see many other options. The very least we can do is try to show that somebody entered the storeroom at some point. We need to resolve this contradiction if we hope to win the case. I don't know how exactly we can work it out, but there has to be some solution..." I whispered.

"It's like a locked room case, but instead of a murder being behind a door with a key, it's a hat," Yuri grumbled.

"Please begin your cross-examination, defense," said Judge Frost.

I nodded. "We'll get on that now."

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ What Lies Beyond the Ferris Wheel ~**

_\- "The carnival may not be here all the time, but there is one thing that stays in place all year."_

_\- "Normally, the building near where the carnival is set up is abandoned with no real purpose."_

_\- "The carnival uses it as a storeroom for extra supplies while it's in town."_

_\- "When the explosion took place, part of the Ferris wheel fell backwards onto the storeroom, which is located just outside the boundaries of the carnival."_

_\- "It caught on fire and was completely destroyed, which is why it was kept out of the case yesterday since everyone was sure it was uninvolved."_

_\- "The storeroom is filled with all sorts of tools, such as spare hats and uniforms, or other important props used throughout the carnival, like for the daily stage shows in another part of the carnival."_

_\- "Not much of it is left, but if Prosecutor Kalles told me to testify about it, the storeroom must be important to the case."_

_\- "Also, nobody was allowed in the storeroom aside from the managers, none of whom went inside on the day of the murder, if you feel that's an important fact to know."_

"Objection!"

I couldn't help but frown after I had called out my objection. I had no idea where this was going to take us, but at the same time, it wasn't like I had very much of a choice on the matter. "There must have been somebody that went into the storeroom around the time of the crime," I declared. "I would like the court to remember the hat found near the body yesterday. First, however, I have a question for the prosecution."

"What is it?" Prosecutor Wood asked nervously.

"Did you hear of anybody who was missing their hat around the time of the crime?" I asked. "I mean the hats worn by the employees. One hat was found near the body when the crime scene was discovered, so I was wondering if there were any known extras."

"I'm afraid not. Every single employee had their hat with them during questioning," Prosecutor Kalles replied.

"If that's the case, where did the hat found with the body come from? It must have come from somewhere, but where? Every single employee only gets one hat since the hats used by the carnival have been discontinued. If every employee had their hat, where did the spare found at the crime scene come from? If nobody entered the storeroom and everybody had their hat, that leaves us with quite the conundrum, doesn't it?" I questioned.

"I wish I could tell you what was going on involving the hats, but I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you. Nobody went into the storeroom near when the victim died. The manager who went in three days before the crime didn't even grab a hat, instead picking up a toolkit to fix a broken game elsewhere in the park," Detective Wattson told us.

"In that case, our next order of business should be figuring out where the extra hat came from. Until we can fix this issue, we can't press on. The hat may end up being a crucial piece of evidence, which means that any information about it is important," I declared. "Are there any ideas as to where the hat came from?"

The prosecution fell silent for a moment. Prosecutor Kalles looked at her assistant for a moment before shaking her head. "The prosecution has no theories," she said softly, clearly embarrassed at this oversight.

"I can't think of anything either," I admitted, looking down at my evidence.

"Maybe we can move on for the time being and double back later on. After all, we may come across some evidence later that could point to where the hat came from. With as little information as we have now, remaining with this subject won't do us very much good. We have other things to take care of at the moment," Yuri pointed out. "Why don't we have the witness from yesterday come up and testify about what he saw the day of the crime?"

"I can't see any other options at the moment," Prosecutor Wood said with a small shrug. "Let's call our witness up, assuming there are no other objections."

"Go on and call your witness," Judge Frost instructed.

"The prosecution calls Masa Stabbin to the witness stand!" Prosecutor Wood cried out.

Detective Wattson stepped away from the stand and went back to the witness bench. Mr. Stabbin passed by her, looking as unenthused as ever. He was still holding his pinwheel from yesterday. He spun it tiredly and let out a long and heavy sigh.

"Please state your name and occupation," Judge Frost told him.

Mr. Stabbin spun his pinwheel once again. "I'm Masa Stabbin. I work as the Ferris wheel operator at the local carnival," he said, his voice monotone. "Do I really have to be here?"

"Yes, you do," Prosecutor Kalles insisted. "As a witness for a murder trial, you definitely have to be here."

He let out another sigh and shook his head. "Fine. Go on and tell me what I need to say. I don't like being here. It makes me feel like I'm the one that's on trial, even if I didn't do it. Why do you all have to be so mean to people like me?" he asked.

"We're not being mean to anybody on purpose. All we're trying to do is show that there are other possibilities for who could have committed this crime," Yuri told him.

"And we're trying to show that the defendant committed this crime," cut in Prosecutor Kalles.

"I like you better then," Mr. Stabbin said, pointing at Prosecutor Kalles. "You don't seem like you're trying to find me guilty of a murder I didn't commit."

"Can you please begin your testimony about the day of the crime, witness?" Judge Frost cut in. "I'm afraid that we don't have time to listen to unrelated conversation at the moment. This case has many holes that have yet to be resolved, so please get a move on, if you wouldn't mind."

Mr. Stabbin nodded slowly. "Fine. That's the last thing I want to do at the moment, but I guess I don't have much of a choice on the matter," he said. "I'll tell you everything I know about the crime, though it isn't very much, so sorry to disappoint you."

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Ferris Wheel and I ~**

_\- "I've been working as the Ferris wheel manager for a summer job."_

_\- "I let somebody with white hair onto the ride the day of the crime before going on break."_

_\- "Leaving the Ferris wheel when I did saved my life."_

_\- "The explosion went off as I was on my way back from my break."_

_\- "That was when I saw something horrible, something that proves the defendant committed the crime."_

_\- "I saw him holding the remote used to set off the bomb."_

_\- "That's hard to refute, wouldn't you say? Lock him up already."_

"I don't think I've ever been so happy that we spoke with a witness," Yuri admitted, a small smile creeping onto her lips. "Mr. Stabbin's just digging his own grave, and he doesn't even know it yet."

"Ms. Mercure's testimony prepared us well for this. It was as if she expected the trial to go this way. We should thank her for telling us that much the next time we see her," I agreed.

"You seem as if you're already prepared to begin the cross-examination," remarked Prosecutor Kalles. "If you're done chatting for the time being, perhaps I should have him repeat his testimony once more."

"Go for it," I nodded, trying to keep a triumphant smirk off my face. She didn't know what she was in for yet, but it was going to destroy the case that she was trying to make with his testimony. That was just what I wanted.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Ferris Wheel and I ~**

_\- "I've been working as the Ferris wheel manager for a summer job."_

_\- "I let somebody with white hair onto the ride the day of the crime before going on break."_

_\- "Leaving the Ferris wheel when I did saved my life."_

_\- "The explosion went off as I was on my way back from my break."_

_\- "That was when I saw something horrible, something that proves the defendant committed the crime."_

_\- "I saw him holding the remote used to set off the bomb."_

_\- "That's hard to refute, wouldn't you say? Lock him up already."_

"Objection!"

"I'm afraid that's very easy to refute, witness," I said. I shuffled through my papers for a moment before finding the one containing Ms. Mercure's testimony. "Were you, by chance, here in the courtroom yesterday? Did you see the witness from yesterday testify?"

Mr. Stabbin shook his head. "No. I didn't come yesterday. I didn't see a point in it, so I stayed at the carnival. Even staying alone at a carnival infested with police officers is more exciting than coming to court," he told me. "Why? Is that important? Are you going to use that to accuse me of murder or something?"

I bit back a remark about not doing that yet. "No, not at all. It's just that the witness from yesterday mentioned a few things to me during the investigation that strike me as odd when compared to your testimony," I told him. "Did you see anybody else at the time when you witnessed the defendant holding the remote?"

"No. It was just me and him in the area," Mr. Stabbin answered.

"And that's where you would be wrong. The witness from yesterday's courtroom session, Ms. Neptune Mercure, told us that she was alone with the defendant at the crime scene when he was holding the remote. He was only holding it for roughly fifteen seconds, she told us, which means that it would be nearly impossible for you both to have seen him holding it without seeing one another. One of you would have to have seen it at the start of the time period he was holding the remote and the other at the end. However, if this time frame was only fifteen seconds, the chances of that decrease drastically," I told him. "To put it simply, it's impossible for you both to have seen the same scene without spotting one another."

"Ms. Mercure told us she didn't see anybody else the day of the murder. Mr. Stabbin is saying the same thing now," Prosecutor Wood murmured. I could already tell who she was believing in.

"Perhaps we should just have the witness testify about what he saw once again. We can determine who is telling the truth from that," Prosecutor Kalles suggested. "Does anybody have a problem with that?"

"I do. I don't want to be here," groaned Mr. Stabbin. "I told you, court is boring for me."

"Unfortunately, witness, you don't have a choice. Now, why don't you make this easier on all of us by testifying about what you saw the defendant do the day of the crime?" Prosecutor Kalles asked. There was an edge of sharpness to her voice, but at the same time, she still sounded sweet and gentle. It was quite the change from her regularly sophisticated persona, but I wasn't objecting to it.

Mr. Stabbin actually seemed a bit shocked at her sudden switch in behavior. He stared at her for a moment before sighing. "Fine," he said quietly. "What do you want me to talk about?"

"Please tell the court about when you saw the defendant. This would be after you had returned from your break, when you were heading back to the Ferris wheel," Prosecutor Kalles explained. "Don't hold back any details. Everything that you say here has a chance to determine the outcome of this trial."

Mr. Stabbin nodded slowly, blowing on his pinwheel. "Yeah, I get it. You want me to be a good little child so that nothing bad happens," he told her. "I think I get it now."

"Thank you. Now, go on and begin your testimony," smiled Prosecutor Kalles, gesturing for him to begin.

Once again, he stared at her for a moment or two, completely silent as he did so. It took a little bit longer for him to return to normal, but once he did, he began his next testimony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this past my bedtime while secretly typing chapter fourteen of the last case. Oops. 
> 
> -Digital


	39. The Festive Turnabout, Part 9

**July 21**

**Courtroom No. 5**

**11:00 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ Seeing the Suspect ~**

_-"It was just after the explosion that I saw the defendant with the remote."_

_-"He was crouched on the ground and holding the small silver remote in one hand."_

_-"There was a small smirk on his face, like he was proud of what he had done."_

_-"I swear to you that he must have caused the explosion. Nobody else could have done it."_

_-"It was just the two of us there. That other girl who claimed to have seen this must have been lying."_

_-"I even saw his finger over the button of the remote. That's proof enough he must have pressed the button and blew up the Ferris wheel."_

"Wow," Yuri said simply with a shake of her head. "His lies are getting more and more transparent. Poking a hole in this testimony is almost too easy. It feels like cheating in a way."

"Cheating or not, he made the mistake, so now, he'll have to pay for it. I don't think he'll be able to get out of this one since he's going against hard evidence instead of merely testimony," I told her. "Judging by the way Prosecutor Kalles is glaring at him, she's caught onto the contradiction."

"Then I guess we shouldn't waste any time," Yuri nodded. "We might as well take care of it now so we'll have more time to theorize about where the mysterious hat came from."

"It sounds as if you already know what you're going to do with this cross-examination," Prosecutor Kalles noted. "If that's the case, we have no reason to hold things off any longer. Go on and get started."

"Alright," I nodded before turning to Yuri. She nodded to show that she was ready as well as Judge Frost gave Mr. Stabbin the signal to repeat his testimony.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ Seeing the Suspect ~**

_-"It was just after the explosion that I saw the defendant with the remote."_

_-"He was crouched on the ground and holding the small silver remote in one hand."_

_-"There was a small smirk on his face, like he was proud of what he had done."_

_-"I swear to you that he must have caused the explosion. Nobody else could have done it."_

_-"It was just the two of us there. That other girl who claimed to have seen this must have been lying."_

_-"I even saw his finger over the button of the remote. That's proof enough he must have pressed the button and blew up the Ferris wheel."_

"Objection!"

"You really didn't see the defendant the day of the crime, did you, witness?" I asked with a small smirk. "You know that lying won't help anyone. It only harms your reputation, which makes you harder to trust."

"But I wasn't lying," Mr. Stabbin frowned. "Where's your proof that I was lying? I think that you just don't like me, so you're trying to make me seem like the bad guy."

"There is evidence to prove that you weren't being honest with us," I explained, holding up the forensics report from the remote. "This report shows the data from the remote used to detonate the bomb. It has details such as fingerprints, for example, which is what we'll be looking at. Yesterday, we determined that the defendant did not detonate the bomb since his fingerprints were not found on the button of the bomb, so he couldn't have touched it. You said just now that he set off the bomb by pressing the button, but his prints were never found on the button, which makes that impossible."

"Um... If you don't mind my interruption, there's another problem with his testimony that I noticed..." whispered Prosecutor Wood, slowly raising her hand to gather the attention of the people in the court.

"What is it?" Judge Frost questioned.

"He said that the remote was silver in color. However, Ms. Brigit just showed that he couldn't have seen the defendant set off the bomb thanks to the forensics report since he didn't do it. He also wasn't in court yesterday to watch the trial, but he still knew that the remote was silver. How did he know?" Prosecutor Wood asked.

Mr. Stabbin's shoulders grew tense. "I heard it from a police officer on the case," he said stiffly.

"I don't know about that. Common officers were not informed of the details on the case," Prosecutor Kalles frowned. "It was only the defense, prosecution, and lead detective that knew of the remote's color. Everybody in the gallery yesterday learned it from there, but you weren't there for the trial, so how did you find out?"

"I think I have an explanation," I cut in with a small smirk. "I believe that he knew the color of the remote since he was the one who used it to set off the bomb. He lied to the court about having seen the defendant to incriminate him. He knows the color of the remote despite the fact that he really shouldn't. If you ask me, there's something suspicious going on here. There's a strong chance that he knows all of this since he set off the bomb and killed the victim."

"Just because he was the one who set off the bomb doesn't mean that he killed the victim. The defendant could have done that much," Prosecutor Kalles proposed. "As we mentioned yesterday, there's the chance that there are two culprits behind this case."

"I find that hard to believe due to the place the victim died. She must have been alone on the Ferris wheel when the explosion went off. A common person would not have been able to get into the Ferris wheel, kill her, and then get off. People outside of the carnival wouldn't be able to work the Ferris wheel properly, and that includes the defendant. He couldn't have operated it to pull off a crime like this," I explained. "The culprit must have been a factory worker."

"The witness here is the Ferris wheel's operator as well. Plus, he doesn't have an alibi, which seems a little bit suspicious if you want my opinion," Yuri declared. "We should at least look into the possibility if we want to find the truth."

"I agree. Mr. Stabbin, where were you at the time of the crime?" Judge Frost asked, addressing him with a suspicious gaze. "I believe you were on your break at the time, yes? If you ask me, that's rather peculiar and dangerous. You let a common person on the Ferris wheel and then left them on it. If something had gone wrong, nobody would have been around to help her.

"I never said I made good choices consistently," Mr. Stabbin told her with a small shrug. He blew on his pinwheel once again. "I left her on the Ferris wheel. That had nothing to do with the fact that she later died. You don't need to be so suspicious of me. I didn't do anything to her that day."

"Be clear with us. What did you do when you let the victim onto the Ferris wheel?" Prosecutor Wood asked.

"I let her on. It was just her. After that, I left to go on break," Mr. Stabbin said simply.

"So, you were alone, so you have no alibi," I frowned. "Without an alibi, you can easily be turned into a suspect for this case. Do you understand that, Mr. Stabbin?"

"I didn't do it. You shouldn't suspect me," he insisted, shaking his head. "You're trying to make me out to be the bad guy since you want to get your boss out of prison. That's rather selfish, you know. Don't make others suffer like that because your coworker is a killer."

"We agree with them," piped up Prosecutor Wood. "We want to find out the truth regarding this case. We need to figure out who killed the victim."

"But I thought your job was to side with the witness testifying against the defendant," Mr. Stabbin frowned. "If you keep on doing things like this, then you're going to lose this case. Do you want that? I don't think you do. Your testimony as prosecutors is going to dip into the gutter. You'll never work another case."

"I wouldn't go that far," Prosecutor Kalles smirked. "My coworker here is the daughter of the chief prosecutor. He believes in finding the truth over any lies, which means that if we have to go against our witnesses, he won't mind a bit. You really shouldn't say things like that unless you know what you're talking about, witness. It just makes you look like a fool."

"But you have to believe me when I say that I didn't do it," Mr. Stabbin urged. I could have sworn that I heard a tint of desperation behind his voice. "I didn't kill the victim. Do you have any potential motives for me? Without that, this all means nothing."

"He's right about a motive being needed for a crime. It would be a bit hypocritical of us to say yesterday that Mr. Morix couldn't have done it without a motive and then convict him without a motive," Yuri frowned. "I hate how unrelated this guy is to the rest of the case. I don't have a clue why he would want Cassidy dead. I feel like I would know if she knew somebody like him. He has something of a standout personality, though I don't exactly mean that in a good way, if you catch my drift," Yuri told me.

"I can't think of much either. A motive will ultimately be necessary to prove that he did it, but I doubt it will be easy given how unrelated he is to your sister," I frowned.

"If you can't come up with anything, I should be able to go. You don't have any reason for me to stick around if you can't think of a motive. All you've been doing is accusing me. If I am proven to not have done it, then I shouldn't bother sticking around," Mr. Stabbin told us. He took a small step back from the witness stand and began to walk for the door.

"We aren't done with you," Judge Frost snapped, making the man stop in his tracks. "You have a legal obligation to stay here. If you don't stay, you could very easily be arrested for failure to comply to the law."

Mr. Stabbin let out a heavy sigh and shuffled back to the witness stand, murmuring a few foul words under his breath. Once he was finished, he shook his head. "I don't know how you can think I did it. Isn't there an extra hat somewhere in this case?" he asked.

"There is. A hat was found at the scene of the crime right next to the body. What does that have to do with anything though? We were focused on your motive," I frowned.

"You can't say that I did it if there's a hat there. I have my hat on my head right now. If the killer really dropped it at the scene of the crime, then it couldn't have been me. My hat is right here. You all can see it loud and clear," Mr. Stabbin replied. "What do you say to that?"

I paused for a moment, looking down in hesitation. I was going to have to craft my words carefully here.

Unfortunately, I wasn't given the chance. Yuri piped up instead. "Everybody had their hats on them though!" she cried out. "You aren't special for having yours on right now, you know!"

"Then where did that hat come from? Unless you can propose something like that, then I don't think you'll have anywhere to go from here. Everything you've proposed right now is purely coincidental. I guessed the remote's color. I didn't have an alibi. So what? Anybody can guess the color of the remote. Plus, countless others at the carnival didn't have alibis, but you aren't accusing them. Only bad lawyers do stuff like this, you know," Mr. Stabbin told us.

"He's right, in a way," I admitted to Yuri. "We need a final nail in the coffin for him. A motive would be great, but we really need to figure out where that hat came from too. If we can pull those final two pieces together..."

"This guy is as good as locked up," Yuri nodded. "But how are we going to find either one of those pieces of information? It's not like evidence is just sitting on the ground, waiting to be picked up and examined. We couldn't find anything yesterday, so I don't exactly know where to look now."

"There's only one place we can look. We need to check out our own evidence. If the answer wasn't at the crime scene yesterday, we must already have it," I told her firmly. "With a little bit of searching, I'm sure that we'll find something. If we can't..."

"We can kiss our jobs goodbye," Yuri frowned. "I just don't know where to look. Mr. Stabbin didn't know Cassidy. I would have known about it. That's going to make finding a motive nearly impossible."

"What motive could he have against her then? She was just a high school student," I said. "I'm sure that there's something, but what could it be?"

Yuri tapped her fingers against the bench before her. "I can't think of anything. The prosecution has been oddly quiet as well. I guess they can't think of anything either. That doesn't sound good for us. They've been trying to help us so far, but if neither of us can come up with a motive or explanation for the hat..."

"I think I can come up with a motive for you, Mr. Stabbin."

We turned our attention to look up at Prosecutor Kalles, who had a frown on her face. "I know exactly why you killed the victim, and it all boils down to what has been happening recently," she declared. "Have you heard about the recent two crimes in which somebody declares their motive for murder involved the Oracle of the Law? Said people would then declare themselves part of the Occisor group and then run away from the courtroom, only to disappear not long after."

Mr. Stabbin didn't say anything for a few seconds. He nodded slowly after he had chosen his words. "I heard on the news," he said carefully. "What does that matter though? This case is about a carnival, not a lake or prison."

"I'm afraid that this case has everything to do with a lake or a prison," Prosecutor Kalles told him. "I believe that you have something to do with the Occisor group. Are you, perhaps, here because of the trail of Oracle? Did that lead you to the victim, the younger sister of Oracle's known associate Venus Rinko?"

Mr. Stabbin stared at her for a moment before starting to glare. "Are you trying to mess with me? Really? You have no idea what you're getting into," he grumbled angrily. He slammed his empty hand onto the witness stand, starting a large gust of wind that whipped his pinwheel violently.

Suddenly, as if realizing what he had been doing, Mr. Stabbin stopped and shook his head. "I don't know what it is that you want from me." He returned to his regular posture and spun his pinwheel thoughtlessly. "I don't have any motivation for killing the victim. We didn't even know each other. You don't just kill people you don't know."

"You didn't answer my question, Mr. Stabbin. Are you here because the victim was the younger sister of Oracle's known associate? Are you here because you thought she might lead you to the one you and your companions have been searching so long for?" Prosecutor Kalles pressed, glaring at him. "I get the feeling you are. You just don't want to admit it since you know you'll be carted off to prison immediately. Isn't that right?"

Mr. Stabbin shook his head. "No, that isn't it. You need to stop putting words in my mouth," he growled. "Why are you not on my side? Even if you're trying to find the truth, the truth is going to lead you to the fact that I didn't do it. Besides, it's not like you have anything else besides a few coincidences and a supposed motive that doesn't even make sense. What about the hat, huh? What about the hat?"

"He's starting to get nervous. I guess Prosecutor Kalles struck a nerve," Yuri hissed at me. "What are we supposed to do now? If that is the motive, we're all in danger here. Anybody that's part of Occisor has a chance to lash out violently. I don't know about you, but I don't exactly want to end up in that sort of trouble because of this guy..."

"We need to take advantage of this distraction. While he's talking with Prosecutor Kalles about all of this, we need to think through the hat situation. I doubt that he's going to drop it until we can come up with an explanation," I told her. "Think about it as much as you can. The more that we can figure out, the better."

"But how are we going to figure this out? All the spare hats were supposedly destroyed, all the employees have their hats, and there aren't any that were out of the storeroom," Yuri frowned. "I'm sorry, Deirdre, but I just can't think of an explanation for this."

"We have to think of something if we want to help out Mr. Morix though," I insisted. "There has to be something that we can do about this... I bet it has to do with the storeroom."

"But that place is nothing but dust now," Yuri told me with a shake of her head. "Is that even possible?"

"It has to be," I responded. "Call it gut instinct, but I know that it's related. Think as much as you can while Prosecutor Kalles is talking to him."

"Mr. Stabbin, what do you know of Oracle?" asked Prosecutor Kalles next. "I get the feeling that you have quite a bit of knowledge on them. Anybody that's working with Occisor must know quite a bit. I can't imagine that they'd be left out of the loop on something so important. Venus was confirmed to be part of the project. You must have thought that her dear little sister was involved as well, and in the end, it led to her demise."

"I don't know anything about Occisor or Oracle! Stop nagging me!" Mr. Stabbin yelled, once again showing hints of irritation. "Stop doing this stuff! It's just annoying!"

"The storeroom... What could the storeroom have to do with all of this?" Yuri asked as the prosecutor and witness continued to argue. "I think that you might be right in saying they have some connection, but what could it be?"

I closed my eyes and tilted my head down in thought. "Let's say for a moment that the hat came from the storeroom. If that's the case, something must have happened during the explosion. If the camera in the storeroom stopped working at the time of the explosion, then the hat could have left the area during the blast," I told Yuri. "If that's what happened, then... I don't know."

"Maybe the blast is responsible," Yuri suggested. "You know, upon closer examination of the hat, it looks a little bit duller in color than the one on Mr. Stabbin's head. Do you think it was damaged during the explosion or something like that? If it was, then the explosion could have caused it to go towards the body."

"How do you figure that?" I questioned with a frown, trying to calm my mind. My thoughts were spouting a million questions a minute. I didn't exactly know how to articulate any of them, so I stayed quiet and let Yuri respond on her own.

"If the blast caused the storeroom to collapse thanks to falling debris, then stuff would have went flying, right? I can't imagine that everything would stay contained. Maybe some debris fell into the storeroom, sending the hat out of the room. It could have flown over the gate behind the Ferris wheel with that sort of momentum and ended up with my sister," Yuri told me. "I don't exactly know how we're going to connect Mr. Stabbin to that though. It doesn't exactly prove that he did it. Anybody could have set off the blast and let the hat go flying. I think that's why he was telling us to figure out something to do with the hat. He knew that we couldn't realistically connect it to him. It was all a ruse to waste our time while he came up with a counterattack."

"Luckily for us, we saw it coming," I nodded. "We can declare that theory to the court now. Prosecutor Kalles is definitely on our side with the way she's pressing him, so I doubt our theory will be instantly rejected."

"In that case, go for it, tiger," Yuri urged, nudging me gently with her shoulder. "You got this!"

"Alright," I told her before looking up. Mr. Stabbin had been yelling a counter back at Prosecutor Kalles when I cut him off. "The defense has come up with an explanation for why the hat was found at the scene of the crime, just like the witness requested."

"Then go on and explain it," Judge Frost instructed.

"Gladly. The explosion sent the hat over there. Let's say for a moment that some debris from the Ferris wheel landed in the storeroom, specifically the area where the hats were being kept. The debris started the fire, I believe," I began. "If the debris hit the section of the storeroom where the hats were, then with the right angle, the hat could have been sent flying over to the crime scene thanks to its high momentum."

"But that doesn't prove that I did it, does it now?" taunted Mr. Stabbin. "Anybody could have done something like that, you know. If your intent was to connect me with the crime using that theory, you've failed pretty miserably."

"I'm afraid that you're correct," I frowned. "But if you want my opinion, then the way you've been behaving since Oracle was brought up already hints at your guilt."

"Anybody would be nervous when you're accusing them of murder!" snapped Mr. Stabbin. "All you're doing is making me angry! Is that what you want?! I'm not pleasant when I'm angry! All you lawyers are the same, treating people badly to fit your own twisted purposes!"

"Witness, please try to calm down," Prosecutor Wood pleaded. "We aren't trying to make you angry. You must understand that this is part of our job. To find the truth, we sometimes need to get a little bit intense. Please, take a moment and breathe-"

"I don't take any orders from a child!" Mr. Stabbin shouted. "You're just a kid, so why would I ever bother listening to you?! If you don't shut your mouth, you're liable to end up just like that Rinko girl did! You had better watch what you say to me!"

Prosecutor Wood instantly fell silent, clinging to Prosecutor Kalles' arm. The older woman frowned before turning to Judge Frost. "If you ask me, that last statement sounded something like a threat. Perhaps we should have him detained for the time being. It seems as if we won't be able to get much more out of him while he's like this," she frowned. "I get the feeling most of us know the truth deep down. At this point, all I'm waiting on is a confession, which is bound to come soon enough. He's already starting to crack under the pressure of interrogation."

"I am not starting to crack! Everybody here is just annoying me beyond imagination!" Mr. Stabbin shouted. His pinwheel was spinning wildly at this point, looking as if it was never going to stop rotating madly. "Just shut up already! Leave me alone! I'm not the one on trial here!"

"With the way you're behaving, you seem to know that you've already lost. Why don't you just go on and confess to your crimes already?" Prosecutor Kalles asked with a ginger smile. "It will make it easier on all of us. Maybe your sentence will be lightened a little with a confession..."

"I can't confess since I didn't do it! All of you are going to end up just like her! Occisor will come for you!" Mr. Stabbin shouted. "All this talk about me being a killer means absolutely nothing! I am not the one who did this!"

"Everybody has turned against you. Please, go on ahead and confess. We know you did it. Everybody is fully aware at this point. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I have a few papers to begin processing. You will be arrested shortly after this trial ends, assuming that you haven't already been carted to prison awaiting your trial," Prosecutor Kalles smiled. She picked up a pen and a paper from the bottom of her stack before jotting down a few words. "If you wouldn't mind my asking, what's your full name, Mr. Stabbin?"

Mr. Stabbin didn't say anything. He slammed his fists against the witness stand before letting out a loud and mighty yell. His pinwheel was spinning faster than ever before now. He crossed his arms over his chest, cradling his upper arms in his hands. Mr. Stabbin's pinwheel was just next to his face, still spinning wildly. With each time one of the blades passed by his cheek, his screams would grow louder. I soon realized why; his pinwheel was scratching at his face the more it turned.

He stayed like this for a few more seconds before his voice finally gave out. His bloodied pinwheel dropped to the floor, cheek red from irritation. He stumbled around quietly, refusing to say a word for a solid two minutes. When he finally did speak, I saw something new in his eyes. The lifeless and nihilistic outlook had disappeared. Now, when I looked into his eyes, all I could see was pure hatred for everybody in the courtroom. If we're being honest here, it was more than a little unsettling.

"Fine," grumbled Mr. Stabbin. "I did it. I set off the explosion, I killed the victim, I did all of it."

Prosecutor Kalles continued to smile sweetly. "I'm glad we've finally gotten that taken care of," she remarked. "Now, I believe that It's time to have you arrested. Your trial awaits you in the near future now that you have finally confessed to your obvious crimes. Judge Frost, if you wouldn't mind, perhaps you should send your bailiffs to take him to the detention center."

"You can't do that yet," Mr. Stabbin frowned with a shake of his head. "I have a message to deliver to this courtroom. I know it will get around to Oracle, which is all that matters. The process doesn't matter to me. Oracle, this girl was just the beginning. You'll be next in joining her on the other side of life. Never again will you be a thorn in the side of Occisor. The end is within sight."

Prosecutor Kalles went to open her mouth, ready to question him on what he meant, but she never got the chance. Mr. Stabbin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sphere. A lighter appeared in his other hand, which he used to ignite the sphere. "It's time for my escape," he smirked. Mr. Stabbin dropped the ball onto the ground and turned for the door. He covered his mouth with his hands and disappeared through the door, kicking it shut behind him.

Smoke billowed up and around everybody in the courtroom. A choked cough left my lips. I could feel my lungs burning already. It was easy to tell that this was something like a knockout gas. I didn't know how Mr. Stabbin, a seemingly ordinary carnival worker, had gotten his hands on something like that. Then again, anybody who was part of a group of murderers likely had a few illegal dealers on hand. In that moment though, I didn't matter to me how he had gotten the sphere of gas. I was much more focused on staying conscious, though I got the feeling that was going to be difficult.

I heard footsteps parading towards the doorway in a rushed panic. I focused on the sound instead of my burning lungs, praying somebody would be able to open the door for us to escape. "He's blockading the door from the other side!" shouted a bailiff. I recognized the voice as belonging to KJ, one of Yuri's friends, that we had briefly spoken to before the trial started. I heard him continue to beat against the door, but it didn't seem like he was having much luck. Seconds later, I heard the thumping sound of a body slamming into the ground. He must have fallen unconscious thanks to the gas.

My vision was beginning to swim as well. Yuri was curled up on the ground, hands covering her mouth as she coughed madly. She went limp not long after, sending panic shooting through my body. The prosecution was already unconscious from what I could tell.

The darkness crept in from the edges of my eyes. I couldn't hold my breath any longer. When I finally accepted air into my lungs, I grew more dizzy than I had ever been before. My legs didn't take long to give out. I fell to the ground, still coughing wildly, as blackness completely overtook my sight. My senses faded away into nothingness not long after as sleep came to take me away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I revealed who Oracle was on Wattpad and FF today. That was fun. 
> 
> I'll get there soon on here I swear--
> 
> -Digital


	40. The Festive Turnabout, Part 10

**July 21**

**Courtroom No. 5**

**1:00 PM**

**Cotoli Morix**

When I finally came to, my head was pounding. I hadn't anticipated any illegal drugs like that to be used, so this was more than a little surprising for me. I didn't want to linger on it for any longer than I needed to. I could finally get the innocent verdict I had been longing for and go home. Chrysalis was undoubtedly missing me.

Judge Frost raised her gavel and slammed it against the bench before her. I noticed that nearly everybody was conscious now. Yuri shot me a small smile, which brought comfort to me instantly.

"It seems as if we all know now who the real culprit," declared Judge Frost. "That being said, I think it's time for my verdict. I don't wish to hold it off any longer now. Are there any objections?"

Prosecutor Kalles was silent, staring down at the bench before her. Prosecutor Wood ended up having to respond. "N-No, none here," she declared shakily.

"The defense also has no objections," nodded Deirdre.

Judge Frost nodded. "In that case, this court now finds the defendant, Cotoli Morix, not guilty," she announced. I smiled a little bit, even if I got the feeling nobody else was really in the mood for it. "This court is now adjourned." She hit her gavel down once again, prompting conversation to burst forth from everyone's lips.

I didn't say a word as I shuffled over to the doors. To my surprise, they were open. KJ had said in the heat of the moment that they were barricaded. I assumed that another group of people from outside had discovered this and opened the doors for us. I internally thanked them for their help, not really able to do much else at the time. For now, all I really wanted to do was get out, so I didn't want to linger.

**July 21**

**Defendant Lobby No. 5**

**1:05 PM**

**Cotoli Morix**

I had been sitting on the bench of the defendant lobby silently for roughly two minutes when I felt the shadows of people above me. Deirdre, Yuri, and Lily were all standing nearby. Each of them looked tired, not that I blamed them. Given the situation, that was perfectly natural.

"Hello," Lily said simply, sitting down beside me. "How are you guys doing? That sure was a strange trial, wouldn't you say? I can't really say that I've seen anything like it."

"I haven't either," I admitted softly. "I didn't expect the culprit to have illegal drugs like that. Prosecutor Kalles was right about him being involved with big criminals like Occisor. No regular person would be able to get their hands on something like that without ending up caught or something similar... But that doesn't matter now. How are you all feeling?"

"We're fine, if not a little shaken," Yuri explained with a nervous smile. "I don't really know how to describe it, but it feels like my heart won't ever stop pounding. I wonder if that's normal after a scary experience like that."

"I bet so," I nodded. "I don't really know what to say about the whole situation as of now. As terrifying as it is, there's not much to say. Mr. Stabbin got away. There's nothing we can do about that. He and the rest of Occisor are all together still."

"In a way, it feels like we aren't any closer to catching them than we were back when this whole mess started months ago," Lily sighed with a shake of her head. "It feels like we're never going to figure this mess out. Then again, I guess we can't expect that... We're dealing with a criminal group that's been killing people for two years now. It's not like they're going to be found out easily by a group of new lawyers that are trying to figure out how to navigate the courtroom."

"I'm sure that we'll be able to figure everything out one day," I assured her. "You don't need to be so hard on yourselves. It's all going to be fine in the end."

"Hey, Mr. Morix?" Yuri asked. "I have a quick question, if you don't mind my asking."

"What is it?" I questioned in return. I figured that she was going to ask something about the trial that had just taken place. It was sort of the elephant in the room, and a big elephant at that.

"What do you know about Oracle?" Yuri frowned, crossing her arms. "Occisor seems pretty interested in Oracle, so I guess that it would be wise to get as much information about them as we possibly can."

"I'm afraid you already know pretty much all I've heard about Oracle," I told her. "If I learn anything new, I'll gladly come to you, but there simply isn't much for me to say at the moment. I told you about the case from a year ago, which is pretty much where my knowledge reaches its endpoint. I've been doing research since then, but I wouldn't be able to tell you anything more than what the average person knows. Sorry about that."

Yuri nodded slowly. "Alright, I understand," she responded. "Well, the three of us should probably be on our way. We all said we were going to hang out and talk about stuff after the trial. You should be getting home. Chrysalis will wonder what's taking you so long. She's been cooped up in her room ever since you were arrested."

"That sounds like her," I remarked with a small smile. "Well, I suppose it's time for me to go and check up on her. I'll be seeing you all later. I hope you enjoy whatever conversation it is you're going to have."

I waved at the three as I headed for the door. It took me a moment to realize that I couldn't exactly head out as things were. My car was still down at the carnival where it had been at the time of the crime. In other words, I didn't have a way to get back home. I was going to have to get a ride from somebody, which I didn't exactly want. I was in the mood to be alone with my thoughts regarding the trial.

Prosecutor Kalles would probably be okay with taking me over there. We had been close friends for a few years now, so she surely wouldn't mind. Plus, I got the feeling she needed to talk to somebody about everything. It wasn't like her to be so quiet when spoken to in a trial.

**July 21**

**Prosecution Lobby No. 5**

**1:10 PM**

**Amy Kalles**

Niamh had been uncharacteristically quiet since we got out of the courtroom, constantly staring down at her feet. I tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump. "I apologize," I told her with a small nod. "Are you feeling alright? Do you need to talk to me about what's been going on?"

"I'm just feeling a bit sick. I guess it's that drug messing with me," Niamh said. She sat down on the bench and continued looking at her feet. "Plus, I'm a bit bothered about everything that's been happening. I didn't expect to see an experienced killer in the courtroom... It's frightening, to say the least..."

"I understand that," I nodded. "It's going to be alright. He won't be coming back for quite some time. I bet that he's going to run back to his friends with his tail tucked between his legs. I doubt that Mr. Stabbin would be bold enough to come back soon if he saw that we defeated him this way. He's going to come back sooner or later, but we'll be ready for him, so we can beat him once again."

Niamh smiled gently. "That's encouraging to hear. Thank you for talking to me, Prosecutor Kalles," she told me with a polite nod. "It was nice to work with you too."

"Maybe we can do it again sometime," I suggested. "I'd be happy to cooperate with you. Though you may be young and inexperienced, I know that you'll make a strong prosecutor one day with some cases under your belt. Feel free to come to me whenever you think you're ready for another case."

I saw her face flush red at the compliments. "Thank you," she repeated softly. "I didn't expect you to be so nice to me. Most people around the office are harsh towards me since I'm so new to the work, but you seem more than happy to treat me with kindness..."

"Why wouldn't I? You're a sweet young girl. I just want you to see success one day in the future," I replied with a smile. "Keep working and you'll reach that. Consider it a promise from me."

Niamh smiled up at me once again before speaking. "I should be getting home. I think that Mom—erm, Prosecutor Lin, will be by soon to pick me up," she said.

"You don't need to be shy about calling her your mother," I told her. "I think it's sweet that you, Prosecutor Lin, and Chief Prosecutor Bespoke have a family dynamic like that. It's not something you normally see in the Prosecutor's Office, so I'd call it rather welcome."

"You think so?" she asked with wide eyes. "Some others think that it's cheap that I'm so close to them... They must think they're getting cheated out of a promotion since I'm so close with all of them..."

"They just have jealousy issues. I think it's fine," I assured her. "If they happen to disagree, feel free to come on and talk to me. I can try and set them straight."

"What are you two up to?"

Prosecutor Lin appeared behind me, so I turned to face her. I smiled gently in response. "Hello, Prosecutor Lin. Are you here to pick up Niamh?" I questioned.

"That I am," she replied. "And we've been over this, Amy. You can just call me Sora. I don't think that formality is needed when we hang out so much outside of work."

"We should be as strict with our business as possible," I told her. "It's the way that I am, I suppose. Business has always been important to me, to say the least."

"I've figured that out," Prosecutor Lin muttered with a shake of her head. "Anyways, I guess it's time for me to take Niamh here back home. She's been working herself a lot these past few days because of this case. She was so excited that somebody wanted to work with her that she barely stopped for sleep. Even after having a panic attack yesterday, she insisted on continuing to work as much as possible..."

I shook my head at the younger girl, who was growing red with embarrassment. "You shouldn't do that, you know. You'll never become a fully-fledged prosecutor if you work yourself this hard. You'll only exhaust yourself," I told her. "Don't let the paperwork swamp you, okay? You can always come to me if you need any help."

"Alright," nodded Niamh. "I won't do that anymore. At the very least, I'll try not to..."

"I suppose that's an okay place to start," I laughed. "You go on home and get some rest. Prosecutor Lin, make sure she gets as much rest as possible. I trust you'll be happy to baby her, yes?"

"It's what I do best," Prosecutor Lin laughed. "I'll see you around, Amy. Stay out of trouble."

"Before I go, can I ask you one more question about the trial?" Niamh asked, looking up to me.

"Of course," I answered.

"How did you know the killer's motive like that? I didn't see anything to hint at that," Niamh frowned.

"Just between the two of us, that was a bluff," I admitted. "I guessed based on his behaviors that he had a motive relating to that. He was acting a lot like the previous members of Occisor with how he wanted to leave the courtroom. Their motives all related to Oracle, so I figured his did as well. It was the only explanation for why he would want to kill Cassidy despite the fact that they didn't know each other. I got the feeling that we lacked the final critical piece of evidence used to seal him away. I assumed it was destroyed in the explosion, so I laid on the pressure until he decided to confess to his crimes."

"That sure was a lucky guess," Niamh whispered. "But in the end, you were right."

"And I'm glad I was. I couldn't have Mr. Morix being locked away for a crime he didn't commit," I explained. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

Niamh nodded. "Yes. Thanks again, Prosecutor Kalles," she said.

"No problem," I replied with a smile. Niamh and Prosecutor Lin waved my direction as they walked away, leaving me alone.

However, I wasn't left with only my thoughts for long. Mr. Morix appeared beside me. "Hey, Amy," he remarked, hands stuffed in his pockets. "You look pretty tired."

"You could say that," I shrugged. "I'm still dealing with what happened to Cassidy, I suppose. I can't really believe that she's actually gone."

"Me neither. I thought that we'd already had our cup of suffering when Venus passed away, but I suppose not," Mr. Morix responded with a shake of his head. "Anyways, if you don't mind, I have a question to ask you. Do you think you could take me back to the carnival for a little while? I left my car down there, so I need a ride."

"I can do that," I replied. "You're going back to see your little sister, right? How's she been doing? I doubt she took your arrest very well."

"Not at all. She's been locked up in her room for the past few days. Only the witness, Neptune, has been by to see her," Mr. Morix told me. "I should go and see her as soon as I can. I don't want to leave her alone more than I have to."

"Could you say hello to her for me? I'm afraid I won't be able to stay for very long," I said.

"Of course. For now, let's head down to the carnival. I can't really say hi to her until we get my car from the carnival," Mr. Morix smiled awkwardly.

We walked out of the courthouse together in silence. When I next spoke up, I let out a sigh. "I think we need to have a meeting tonight," I admitted. "I think that we need to talk about all that has happened recently. Now that you're out of the detention center, it's time for a serious conversation."

Mr. Morix nodded. "I'll call the others," he replied. "We all need to be together for this."

"I agree," I murmured as we got into the car. "Somehow, I get the feeling that everything we've worked for is about to bear fruit at long last."

**July 21**

**Deirdre's Apartment**

**2:00 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

When I arrived at my apartment with Yuri and Lily, we were instantly greeted by the clicking of feet on the hardwood floor. I leaned down and picked up the owner of the footsteps, my small dog, Kiki. She was only about a foot long, small even for her type of dog. Kiki was shuddering as I embraced her, brushing my fingers beneath her chin. "Hello, there," I smiled softly.

Kiki had been living with me and my sister, Moira, for roughly two years now. Moira had trouble getting around these days because of an incident from a while back, so Kiki was around there to calm her when she needed it and to fetch things. She wasn't exactly an official service dog, but she was still incredibly helpful.

"She's so cute!" Lily chirped as I continued to stroke the black and white dog. "What's her name?"

"Kiki," I replied with a grin. "You can pet her if you like. She's not the best with new people, but I'm sure that she'll be okay after a little while."

"I can't believe you never told us you had a dog," Yuri muttered with a shake of her head. She began to stroke Kiki regardless, a wide grin on her face. "Anyways, we should get down to business. What are we going to do about Mr. Morix? He said he didn't know anything after the trial, but I could tell that he was lying. Could you guys hear it too?"

"It was clear as day to me," Lily said. "I don't know how we're going to drag the truth out of him, but we've got to do it somehow, right?"

"We'll just have to figure out when the perfect time to strike is. Until then, all we can do is wait around and hope that something happens. Oracle hasn't exactly been making a huge scene lately, so there isn't much to go off," I replied. "I'm afraid that we're going to need more information to crack this."

"You know what I think the scariest part is?" Yuri asked. "If Cassidy and Venus, and Mr. Morix, for that matter, all know Oracle, what if one of us knows them too? We could easily be unaware given how secretive they tend to be... They could be right in front of us!"

"That certainly is troubling," I frowned. "I guess we'll just have to see when we eventually learn the truth. Until then, there isn't much we can do."

"I wonder what Oracle is up to now," Lily mused. "I know we'll never find out, but I can't really help but wonder, you know?"

"I understand," Yuri nodded. "I guess we can just keep talking about Oracle and see if we can figure anything else out. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me," I agreed. Lily nodded her response simply. "In that case, let's get down to business. We have quite a bit to discuss."

**July 21**

**Unknown Location**

**6:00 PM**

**Unknown Perspective**

"So, what are we supposed to do now?"

Everybody had arrived at our little meeting place high above the streets. There were two other women present. Two men were there as well. I was tapping my foot anxiously against the ground as I stared at my feet.

It was a woman who had spoken, her long hair falling down her back. "I mean, it's not like we can just ask her now. She's gone," she remarked. "Of course, there's always spiritual contact, but I don't know if that will work..."

"It won't," I interrupted. "I've been trying for days now. Cassidy cannot be contacted. It's abnormal for spirits to be cut off from the living world like this. I mean, I was able to sense a ghost the first time I entered this place, but for some reason..."

"I don't know what to do then. Cassidy might have been a traitor, but we have no way of figuring that out," huffed the other woman.

"Wait, what? Cassidy turned traitor?" asked one of the men, shock painted on his face. "I never would have expected her to abandon us like that... I need an explanation. One of you has to know the truth, right?"

"It's just a chance right now. We can't say for sure," the first woman said hurriedly. "It all has to do with that Neptune girl. She knows a lot more than she should."

"She figured out the truth without even meeting me. That shouldn't be possible without outside interference. We all took an oath when we pledged ourselves to this type of justice. As much as I hate to say it, Cassidy is the most likely traitor. She met Neptune Mercure before any of us and helped her investigation," I frowned. "I don't want to believe that she abandoned her duty, but it seems she did."

"Cassidy wouldn't do that!" the first man cried out. "She was as dedicated to this as the rest of us!"

"We can't say for sure if that's the case or not, so take a breath, will you?" the second woman huffed. "We can figure out the truth later. For now, I feel as if there are much more important things to discuss, such as the trial today. What in the world happened in there?"

"Occisor showed up," I said with a sigh. "That's the fourth time we've had somebody end up part of the group on our cases. It seems almost unsettling that it's gone this way so far."

"Do you think somebody turned away and told them who's behind it?" the first man asked.

"No way. If they knew the truth, none of us would be alive. They've guessed it on their own. Besides, it's pure coincidence that they've been culprits on cases we've been on. They didn't manipulate us to do such," the first woman told him. "It's an incredibly coincidence that doesn't even seem real, but it's the only thing we can believe at the moment, so we'll have to go along with it."

"Everything that's been happening recently is just a mess," the man murmured. "Is there really nothing we can do about all of this? We can't talk to Cassidy about her potential betrayal, we can't talk to Venus since she's also beyond our reach, and we can't find Occisor. Everything is going against us. How are we supposed to find him if we have countless obstacles and our helpers are falling like leaves in the middle of a storm?"

"I don't know, but we'll have to figure something out. Even if the world is working against us, we have no choice. We need to find him and track down the people that chased him off to begin with. It was Occisor," I declared. "Occisor is responsible for the departure of our dear comrade, so we'll have to take them down. We have no other options."

"Everything that's been happening lately is coming to a head," the second man, who had been silent up until this point, cut in. "I get the feeling that the end is coming, whether we like it or not. They're getting suspicious. They're figuring out who it is that's behind this. With just a little more digging, they'll hear the truth."

"Then we'll just have to swear them to secrecy. I wasn't exactly looking forward to employing more help after what happened last time, but we don't have a choice. We need to get them on our side before they can go against us," I announced.

"They aren't the type to just leave us in the dirt like that. They won't sell us out to Occisor," the second man assured me, placing one hand on my shoulder to comfort me. My shoulders relaxed at his touch. He'd always been able to calm me easily like this.

"Well, if you're so sure... Alright. I'll believe you," I said, letting out a sigh. "I'm still a little scared. As helpful as they are, they're close to joining Neptune in finding out the truth. I can't believe her... When I first went to meet her, she acted like she knew everything. She acted as if she heard all about every single alias, every single infiltration, everything. Nobody could have that much information without somebody from the inner circle telling them."

"Who did you give that much information to?" the first man asked, fiddling with a knife he always kept at his belt. "I know he already knows everything, obviously, but is there anybody else?"

"The innermost circle has always been me, Oracle, and Venus," frowned the second man. "There's no way that Venus could have told her though. You've been doing a bit of digging behind Neptune, haven't you?"

I nodded. "She first appeared to the world after Venus' death. If you ask me, there's most certainly another force acting with her. Nobody by the name of Neptune Mercure existed before the date of February 18. Venus died on the fourteenth. I know that you've been loyal. So have I," I said to the man. "I have to stay loyal. It's my neck that's on the line with all of this."

"What about that company she might be working with?" the first man questioned. "Doesn't she work with an information gathering company or something? Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but..."

"No, you're right," I assured him. "She works as a private investigator, but she lives at Gather Law Incorporated, where all sorts of information is gathered at all times. If anybody knows anything about Oracle outside this group, it would be somebody there. I don't know how they'd figure out so much, but I suppose that is what they specialize in. Not one of them has approached me on the matter, so maybe she alone has figured out the truth. I can't say for sure. I'm scared to approach them and ask what they might know since it could easily be too much."

"Maybe try to ask Neptune about it. Her looking into it would be much safer, assuming she'd be willing to," the second man suggested. "I know that being with her is a bit unsettling, but this is your best bet of getting through this with minimal issues. I'm sorry about all of this, but..."

"I don't mind. I just want to get out of this alive and with our coworker intact," I said quickly. "I still can't believe that he's been gone for so long... Two years now... It's a bit unsettling, to say the least... There isn't anything we can do about it now though... The information we've got at the moment is minimal, and that's probably putting it nicely."

"Are you close to hearing the truth about him?" the second woman asked. "I hear you've been digging more than ever before."

"You bet I have," I answered. "I'm close to a breakthrough. I think I've almost figured out where he is, but I can't say for sure. We'll have to look into things a bit more to find his exact location. I wish I had a few more hints, but it is what it is, I suppose."

"I'm sure that you'll find him soon," the first woman smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I leaned up against her slowly, taking comfort in her presence. It had been a while since the last time we'd been close this way. Normally, people stayed away due to my regularly snarky and quiet attitude, but she had always been there for me. I appreciated her presence quite a bit, even if I was hesitant to show it due to my insecurities and the other parts of her life.

"Thanks for this," I whispered into her chest. We stayed there for a while before she finally released me. "I guess that about ties up our meeting tonight. Are there any other topics we need to discuss?"

"I don't think so," the second woman responded. "I should probably be getting home now. He's waiting for me back there so I can tuck him in. He's been tiring himself out with all this worrying he's been doing. I don't want to leave him alone for much longer, even if Nelson is with him."

"Is a dog really the best companion for a kid as anxious as him?" the first man asked, still fiddling with his knife. "I feel like a boy with anxiety levels that high needs a person there with him most of the time so he doesn't completely panic."

"Nelson is cuddly enough for him. He's very good at calming him and providing therapy, I'll have you know," the second woman cut in, a smirk of pride on her face. "I'll be seeing you all around later. Stay out of trouble until our next meeting, alright?"

As the second woman walked out, the first woman turned to face me. "Are you feeling okay?" she questioned. "I hope that I was able to help you out at least a little."

"It was much appreciated," I smiled at her. "You go on home with your hubby. Don't you have somebody to be getting back to?"

"Yeah," she responded awkwardly as the first man got to his feet. "She was asleep when we left. We left a note behind, but I still get the feeling that she'd panic at least a little bit if she woke up and saw that we weren't there anymore. Nervous girl, that one."

"Then we'll see you later," the second man told her as she and her companion left, arms linked around one another. It wasn't until after they had left that he turned to look at me. "You're still not feeling good, are you?"

"Not at all. Everything that's been happening is a bit stressful, to say the least," I answered. "I'm tired of everything at the moment. Is that normal?"

"I think so, especially given your situation," he answered. "Now, let's get you to bed. You're stressed out, so you're going to make yourself sick."

I nodded and flopped backwards on the couch where I had been sitting. "I don't know what to think about all of this," I admitted. "It's so chaotic all of a sudden. Just a few months ago, everything was fine and normal, at least about as normal as our lives can be..."

"Then let's get you to sleep. Even if it's early, your eyes are sunken in. You look almost like the ghost you say lingers here," he remarked with a small smile.

"I'm telling you, there's something here," I sighed. He fetched a blanket and stretched it out over my body. "But we can talk about that tomorrow. You aren't going to leave me alone until I get to sleep."

"Then go to sleep," he said.

I let my eyes slowly slip shut. I felt a kiss land on my forehead. Sleep came in not long after, making all thoughts of fear and discovery leave my mind.

**THE FESTIVE TURNABOUT**

**END**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, case five ends!
> 
> The one case we have left is the final case, otherwise known as The Undercover Turnabout. This case has easily changed the most drastically in comparison to the original, and I like it a lot better now. I've asked someone what she thinks of the rewritten version (aka my cowriter Hatty), and she thinks it's the best case in the book, so I hope it doesn't disappoint.
> 
> Next time, I'll be posting the first part to the end of the book. Prepare yourselves for some angst, plot twists, and angsty plot twists.
> 
> -Digital


	41. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 1

"So, how close are you to figuring it all out?"

_"Closer than ever before. We're going to find the truth in a matter of days. At long last, my research is bearing fruit."_

"I'm glad to hear that. Try and stay out of trouble, will you? I'm going to panic if something goes wrong while you're out..."

_"Nothing will go wrong. You're worrying too much about this. I'll take care of everything. I'll be home soon with our target at my si--"_

"Hey, where are you? What's going on? Are you okay?"

**"Oracle is now the captive of Occisor. Her end has finally come."**

**August 31**

**Morix Law Offices**

**9:00 AM**

**Cotoli Morix**

"So, are you ready?" I asked, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

Chrysalis nodded as she pulled up the handle of her suitcase. "I'm all packed, so I should hope so," she answered.

"What's up with you?" Yuri questioned from her place on the couch nearby. There was a stack of paperwork sitting before her that she was pretending to work on. The TV was showing a fictitious story about some cat. Even if she was trying to fool us, I knew that she was just watching the Monsieur Cat show she had grown obsessed with in recent weeks.

"I'm going out of town," Chrysalis replied. "I have business elsewhere, so I'm going to be gone for the next three or so days. Try not to blow up the agency while I'm gone, will you? I can only fix so many messes."

"Where are you going?" Deirdre questioned, rising from her place beside Yuri on the couch. "Maybe I missed it, but I never heard you were going anywhere."

"It's just something for school," Chrysalis told her. "It isn't important. I'll be back home in a few days to help you all out again, so no need to worry."

"You can tell us all about wherever it is you're going after you come home!" Lily chirped excitedly, clapping her hands together. "I've always loved hearing about people traveling. It's so exciting. Seeing new places is always a nice experience."

"You can hear about it when I return then," Chrysalis nodded, heading for the nearby elevator. "I'm going to head out now. My flight isn't for another eight or so hours, but I have extra business to take care of first. I don't want to be late for any of that, so I'll be on my way." She waved as she disappeared into the elevator. I waved in return, a small smile on my face as she left. I was a bit worried about how she'd be faring on her own, but I didn't really have the time to ask her anything like that. She'd only shrug it off anyways.

"We should be getting back to work," I declared once she had gone. "We shouldn't be wasting our time talking when there are things to be done. I get the feeling we're going to be getting a case soon since it's been a while. We want to be all caught up before then."

Yuri let out a groan of agony and flopped back down onto the couch in frustration. "I swear, as much as I love finding out criminals and catching the bad guys, paperwork is the real villain of my life," she declared. She picked up her stack of papers and began to fill them out, grumbling sour words under her breath all the while.

"I suppose it makes you appreciate the other things in life a bit more," Lily shrugged before gesturing the TV. "What episode are you watching?"

"I'm catching up on all the previous stuff before the season finale comes out at the end of September," Yuri explained.

"What exactly is it that you're watching?" Deirdre asked. "I don't think I've heard of any eccentric cat shows recently..."

"Monsieur Cat is a show rising in popularity these days. It's about a cat who fights crime in all sorts of clever ways. Since Metal Mercenary is on hiatus at the moment, I've been watching this to calm my television urges," Yuri explained. "It follows the tale of Anthony, a teenage boy blessed with superpowers to fight the forces of evil. In between his fights with crime, we see his regular life. He's madly in love with a girl at his school. Her name is Melody. I can't say it for sure quite yet, but I think that she might have a little secret too. We'll just have to see if anything happens in the season finale in a few weeks. I'm already on my third watch of the series. Man, it would be a dream to meet the cast of the show. The main actor, a boy named James Devine, is actually about my age... I wish I could meet him... I wonder if he's as radiant in real life as he is on the show. I honestly wouldn't object to marrying him. Do you think I'm jumping into this too much? Either way, I don't really care. It's a pretty good show no matter what I think of him."

"Sounds... Interesting," Deirdre said simply, clearly unsure of what else to reply with.

"Can you watch it as you fill in those papers for me? I'm not trying to be pushy, but they're due tomorrow," I cut in. "Feel free to relax for now, but I don't want to get in trouble for not having this stuff in on time, alright?"

"I get it, Mr. Morix," Yuri assured me. She flicked her wrist in my direction, obviously an attempt at relaxing me. "I'm going to show Deirdre the glory of Monsieur Cat and then get right back to work. Everything will be fine."

"I'm glad to hear it," I smiled as I turned and headed for the elevator. "I'll be up in my office filling out paperwork of my own, so feel free to come up and get me if you need anything. My door is always open."

**August 31**

**Morix Law Offices**

**2:00 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

"And there you have it!" Yuri cried out, spreading her arms wide in a grand gesture. "That's all we have so far of the show! I hope that you guys have enjoyed it. I love this show more than I love myself, which is saying a lot given that I'm all about that self-love thing."

"It sure was unique," I told her. The show had been something interesting, to say the least, but I wasn't really sure what else I was supposed to think of it. It was peculiar, to put it nicely.

"I'm going to have another marathon of it the day of the season finale. Maybe we could all get together and talk about it more then! It could be really fun to get everybody together for a little intimate get together about one of the best shows of modern day," Yuri continued to tell me.

"Maybe we should switch the TV back over to something live so that we can actually get something done," Lily giggled, looking at the stack of unfinished paperwork sitting before her. She and Yuri had gotten incredibly distracted by the show, so they had barely finished three pages each. I had been a bit more focused, so I only had three pages left to do.

Yuri picked up the remote and pressed a few buttons on it, making the feed switch over to something live. The news was on, which made Yuri frown. "That's weird. This isn't the news channel. Last I checked, this was a cartoon channel or something like that."

"It certainly doesn't look like it's showing cartoons now. Do you think that something bad happened?" Lily questioned with a frown. "I can't think of any other reason they'd interrupt cartoons with the news."

I pointed at the TV with a frown. A large and imposing building was being shown on the screen. "What is that place?" I asked. "I feel like it's familiar somehow, but I can't really put my finger on why I would recognize it..."

"I think that building is the headquarters for Interpol," Lily told me. "They're some of the biggest crime fighters the world has ever known. I bet that Monsieur Cat would easily defeat them all, but we have to deal with reality, so they're kind of a big deal."

"Did something happen down there?" Yuri asked, pulling out her phone. "I haven't ever seen that place on TV. Plus, I thought that business relating to Interpol was supposed to stay all hush-hush. Why change that protocol now?"

"It looks like we're about to find out," I frowned as the camera changed.

A woman with red hair was standing in front of a camera, holding a microphone in one hand. She pressed her hands along her skirt to flatten out the wrinkles before taking a deep breath. The woman made a gesture to the cameraman, which I assumed was code for something, before beginning to speak.

_"This is Ayano Tsukasa reporting from the Interpol headquarters. I'm here with breaking news. A murder has taken place in these very halls. The press isn't allowed inside, but I can tell you all that we know as of now," the woman explained. "The victim is an agent with the letter Y. She was found murdered in her office, her head having been hit in by a vase. For those who don't know, agents of Interpol are given letters to use instead of their real names as a way to protect their identities. The agents inside refuse to give out her real name."_

"Interpol, huh?" Lily asked. "I didn't expect that. The place is so tight on security. I wonder how a killer could get in and out of a building with so many guards on duty."

"I guess we can see if the press has more information," I frowned, still looking at the TV intently, practically begging it to tell us more about the case.

_"The suspect was arrested not long ago. We can't reveal his full name due to security measures, but his letter is M. He's he head honcho of the American Interpol and leader of the company's United States branch. The other agents of Interpol are still in the building being questioned on the matter. Not many details have been let out regarding the case since it took place in Interpol's headquarters, but we'll be reporting more on this story as it develops. Until then, stay out of trouble."_

"This is already sounding like a unique case," I frowned. "I never would have expected a murder to take place in the Interpol headquarters. As you both said, the security there is incredibly tight. The best investigators in the country, if not the world, are found in that building, but a murder still took place. Whoever did it must be dangerous."

"I wonder if we could investigate the case," Lily said with a frown. "I doubt it because of the way Interpol works. They probably have official lawyers employed solely to take on these sorts of cases, so a normal defense attorney likely won't cut it. As unfortunate as it is, I guess it could be seen as good. It means we don't need to worry about it."

A ringing sound could be heard throughout the whole room. Yuri got to her feet. "That must be the doorbell. Maybe we have another case," she said as she dashed for the door to the elevator. "We're going to have to go down since Chrysalis isn't here to take care of the front desk."

Lily and I followed after her into the elevator. Yuri pressed the button for the bottom floor. The room moved downwards until we arrived at our destination. A man had just walked in, looking around with a frown.

"Hello there," I greeted, stepping out of the elevator. "Who might you be? Do you need something from us?"

The man jumped at being addressed. He had dark brown hair that was cut close to his face and brown eyes. He had a black jacket that was a few sizes too big on over a simple navy and gray shirt. He had black trousers that covered his midnight colored boots. "Y-Yes, I do, as a matter of fact," he replied. "You three must work here, yes?"

Lily nodded. "We do, yes," she responded.

"I need you to defend somebody," the man said, still clearly a little bit nervous. "It's important. One of my close friends was arrested on murder charges this afternoon."

"What's the case about? We'll gladly take care of it," I told him.

"It was at Interpol's headquarters," the man explained. "I should probably explain who I am first. I'm N. I'm an agent from Interpol and the right hand to M."

Yuri let out a gasp. "I guess we'll be on that case after all!" she cried out. "And here Lily thought it wasn't going to happen..."

"Can you blame me?" Lily asked with a shake of her head. "Anyways, N, could you tell us a little bit more about the case? We can ask our boss if we can help you."

"A-Alright," N stammered. I got the feeling he was a nervous young man. He sat down stiffly on the couch of the lobby. "What do you want to know? I can't promise I'll have everything figured out, but I suppose it's worth a try to explain it all..."

"We heard a little bit about the murder on the news," I began to say. "It took place at Interpol headquarters and an agent by the name of Y was found dead in her office after being hit in the head by a vase. Is that accurate?"

N nodded. "Yeah... It was rather sudden. Everything was fine this morning, but a few things happened that resulted in her death..." he whispered. "Do you want any specifics on the case first?"

"What do you know about the victim?" Lily questioned.

"I can't reveal her name for security reasons, but her letter was Y as you already know," N began. "She was a researcher on all sorts of mysteries. She was recruited a few years ago to help us take down a criminal group she had close ties to. She helped us lock them away in a matter of days. She's always had peculiar luck that helped her to stumble upon the answers to her cases."

"Do you think she was investigating a particular case that would cause someone to want her dead?" I asked next.

"She was looking into the Oracle of the Law, I'm pretty sure," he replied. "She was working with another agent, O, to figure out who Oracle is, but that won't be happening anymore..."

"I remember O!" Lily exclaimed with a sharp gasp. "She was at the crime scene of the lake case a few months ago investigating Oracle! We were able to talk for a little bit about it. Is she involved in this case somehow?"

"She's an important witness," N answered. "Even if she hadn't seen important things at the time of the crime, she'd probably be testifying anyways since she was Y's partner in the Oracle case. They haven't had any significant breakthroughs, unfortunately, but they've been working on it."

I frowned at his last statement. I could hear something in his tone that indicated he was lying, but why? The victim was dead, so why try to hide secrets for her? Anything relating to Oracle could be important, which meant that withholding that sort of information could prevent the case from being solved.

"We'd be happy to take on the case for you, N," Lily suddenly cut in. "We're going to defend M, assuming that's okay with you. Then again, if it wasn't, you probably wouldn't have come to talk to us about it..."

"I'm glad... I figured you would be the best people for the job. Your agency has been involved with quite a few cases involving Oracle, so you'd have more information on the matter than the average person. Call it a gut instinct, but I feel like Oracle is going to be an important part of this case," N told us.

"We can take care of this case for you, no problem," Lily smiled. "What about you take us down to the detention center to meet this M person? I feel like he'll be more open to talk if somebody he knows is there."

"I can do that," N nodded. "Just try not to be intimidated by him. He can be a bit scary at first, but once he realizes how much you can help him, he should calm down. He doesn't exactly mean to scare you, but it just comes off that way..."

"It'll be fine," Lily assured him. "Yuri, you should probably text Mr. Morix and tell him that we're going to be out on a case. Also, tell him that we'll finish up our paperwork later in the afternoon after we've finished our investigation. He'll be okay with that, right?"

"I think so. I mean, so long as we get our work done, he shouldn't mind," Yuri replied, pulling out her phone. She began to type on the screen as we headed for the door of the building. N was trailing behind us nervously.

Suddenly, Lily seized my wrist and pulled me in close. "I took on the case all of a sudden because of Oracle," she whispered. "If they have something to do with this murder, we can get more information to use with Mr. Morix should we need it. Call it a gut instinct, but I feel like we're going to get the answers we seek here."

"He said that there haven't been any major breakthroughs about Oracle, but I could tell that he was lying. He does know something," I whispered to her. "You must have been able to tell that too."

Lily nodded. "I noticed it, yeah... I don't exactly know what it could mean for us, but we're going to have to go along with it for the time being. Maybe we can ask him about it when we get to the detention center. Our client might have something to tell us on the matter too, which will be even more helpful," she told me. "I can tell Yuri on the way there. From what I can tell, she's trying to loosen his lips in another way."

I turned over my shoulder and saw that Lily was right. Yuri had tucked her phone away and was now chatting a million miles a minute with N, giggling every now and then. He was smiling gently in response, clearly feeling a bit awkward. I could still tell he was more at ease chatting with her than with the full three of us though, so I didn't interrupt.

"It appears that it's time to put our plan into action," I frowned. "I didn't expect it to be so soon, but fate works in peculiar ways like that."

"For now, we should focus on the case. We can think about this stuff after we've finished our initial investigation," Lily told me. "Now, let's get to it. If you ask me, we've lingered around here for too long already. There's only so much time in the day to investigate a murder and make deductions about a mysterious spy if you're still going to finish your paperwork, you know?"

**August 31**

**Detention Center**

**2:30 PM**

**Yuri Rinko**

N dashed up to the glass immediately after we arrived in the detention center. Deirdre, Lily, and I trailed after him by a few feet. N placed his fingers against the transparent surface, his eyes locking with those of a man.

He was tall, almost as much so as Mr. Morix. His black hair was spiky, and he had brown eyes. Stubble lined his chin faintly, so much so that it was difficult to see. He had on black pants and shoes. He wore a black jacket over a white shirt. His tie was also dark. A small flower was in the chest pocket of his jacket, peering out ever so slightly.

"Are you feeling okay, M?" N asked hurriedly, his face coated in a layer of panic. "I hope that they haven't been pushing you too hard. I got the lawyers you asked me for earlier. They said they would be happy to take on the case and help defend you."

The man, M, nodded slowly and solemnly. "Thank you, N," he replied before looking to Deirdre. "I think the time has come for introductions."

"My name is Deirdre Brigit. I work at Morix Law Offices," Deirdre answered, bowing her head gently. She gestured to Lily and then me. "This is Lily Shield and Yuri Rinko. They work with me at the agency."

"It's nice to meet you," I smiled. "N seems to think very highly of you." I had to bite back a comment about there potentially being something more to their relationship out of respect. I was positive that it would be frowned upon to say that you thought the head agents of Interpol were romantically involved based off purely gut instincts. Plus, it wasn't my business, so it was best if I stayed out of it.

M shot a brief glance at N, whose face had gone bright red from embarrassment. Now, I was positive there was a relationship brewing between them, but I held my tongue once again, even if I'm not entirely sure how I pulled it off. "My name is M. I'm the head agent of the American branch of Interpol," he told us, arms crossed over his chest. "I have heard highly of your agency in these past few months, so I figured you would be the right people to take this case on."

"We heard that the victim was killed in her office with a vase. Do you happen to know anything more on the subject? Our knowledge at the moment is somewhat lacking," Lily frowned.

"I can say that there's some sort of foul play going on behind the scenes, if that's what you're asking," M grumbled. "Y was one of our best investigators, but now she's gone so suddenly... It's all rather peculiar, especially considering..."

His voice trailed off as his eyes moved down to the ground. I could feel a frown pulling at the edges of my lips. "Considering what?" I asked.

"It's a long story," N said awkwardly. "We can probably get into a bit more detail on the matter later... For now, feel free to ask us any questions you potentially have about the case."

"What did you see at the time of the crime?" Lily questioned first. "It's important to start off with witness testimony, I think."

"Something really peculiar happened the time of the crime, which was just a few hours ago, as a matter of fact," N said. "The power of Interpol went out, if you can believe that. It shouldn't even be possible. Interpol has a backup generator in case of a power outage due to weather issues, but the generator was turned off as well. The generator normally kicks in should the power go off, but that didn't happen a few hours ago."

"I don't think there were any weather issues today either," I remarked with a frown. "So, you think that somebody did this on purpose. Somebody interfered with the power for some reason or another."

"I can't think of any other explanations," Deirdre murmured. "Do you know who would have the power to do this under regular means? Who has clearance to enter a room with the ability to turn off the generator?"

N swallowed nervously. "I-It's just me and M... That's one of the reasons he was arrested, I'm afraid..." he said quietly. "None of the regular agents are allowed into the power room without one of us present or our express permission otherwise."

"This is already not turning out very well, is it?" I murmured with a shake of my head. "What happened after the power went out at Interpol?"

"The whole building was in a state of chaos. We made a few announcements to everybody so they'd stay where they were, which sort of lessened the mess, but there was one person we couldn't reach," N began. "Y was locked in her office. She wasn't responding to any of our cries for her to stay calm. Y was always talkative, so to have her go quiet like this was unsettling, to say the least..."

"In the chaos of the power outage, N and I were separated briefly. This is the time in which the police claim that I was killing the victim," frowned M. "I didn't do such a thing, but they seem to believe that I was responsible for her death."

"That isn't good," Lily frowned. "Do you know anything about the murder weapon? That could help to prove your innocence."

"It was a vase found in her office. It was slammed against her head to kill her, so the cause of death was blunt force trauma," M explained. "The culprit must have used the vase to their advantage in this scenario... The vase was shattered on impact when it hit her head. The remains are covered in blood, but it's nearly impossible to lift prints from it since it was broken into so many pieces. In other words, finding out who raised the vase to her isn't going to be possible."

"Could they try and put it back together?" I asked.

"Probably not. It didn't break cleanly into many pieces. There have to be over a hundred shards of the vase, so putting it together is going to be incredibly difficult, if even possible. Plus, if they have to put it together, chances are the prints of the culprit will have been accidentally wiped off by the forensics team by then," M told me. "In other words, other evidence is going to have to be used to find out who the culprit is."

"We're used to not having a murder weapon to work with at this point, aren't we?" Lily asked jokingly, obviously referring to the case at the lake she had taken on a few months ago. "Anyways, I have a few other questions for you, if that's okay. Do you know anything about a motive for murder anyone would have against her?"

M went tense at Lily's words, making me frown. "I don't think there's any one explanation for why somebody would want her dead," he said bluntly, though I think it was obvious to everybody there he was lying. "Y was well-liked by everybody at Interpol. I don't know why anybody would want to raise a hand to her, much less kill her."

"I see," Deirdre murmured, not pursuing the subject any further for the time being. "N told us she was investigating Oracle while she was still alive."

M looked down, still refusing to meet our gazes. "I understand," he murmured mindlessly.

"Should we tell them about the papers?" N asked. "I mean, I don't see why we should hide it. The truth will come out some way or another, whether that be here by our choice or in court against our will."

"Papers?" I echoed. "What papers?"

M let out a sigh. "I suppose you make a good point... Alright. There were some papers that had been sitting on the victim's death before the crime took place. I can't say for sure what they were there for, but I have a sneaking suspicion it has to do with her investigation into Oracle," he explained.

"We saw the papers the morning of the crime, but later on, after she was found dead, the papers disappeared and haven't been seen since," N frowned. "We don't know what happened to them, but I get the feeling it's because of what she had in them..."

"Like I said, she was investigating Oracle. Let's just say that she came to us with a major breakthrough about a week ago, something large enough that it could have resulted in her death," M went on.

"Another murder based around Oracle," Deirdre muttered. "So, you think those papers were involved in her investigation about Oracle. What sort of information did she have in them? Was it anything crucial that would expose Oracle's true identity if revealed to the public?"

M hesitated before nodding. "Yes, I'm afraid. She was trying to find out the true identity of Oracle through her investigation. We've found them to be a rather large issue since there was a breach in Interpol security about a year and a half ago," he remarked. "The previous head of Interpol was exposed for selling positions in the agency to those unqualified. Oracle revealed that they were the one who found such information and exposed it to the public."

"I think a similar thing happened with the previous chief prosecutor, come to think of it," I said with a frown. "I heard that Oracle figured out the old chief prosecutor was corrupt and exposed him to the public. That was when Chief Prosecutor Bespoke was put in his place as the new head of the office."

"Oracle was able to pull it off so effortlessly. We didn't want anything else to be leaked to the public, so we're trying to figure out who it is," M continued. "They would have had to be in Interpol to have access to that sort of information. That was why we had Y and O on the case. We needed them to learn the truth."

"Do you think the victim knew who Oracle was?" Deirdre questioned.

"We don't think it," N cut in. "We know it. She came to us not long ago to say that she had figured out who Oracle was after all that time. She was ready to reveal their identity." 

 


	42. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 2

**August 31**

**Detention Center**

**2:45 PM**

**Lily Shield**

My mouth was left wide open at his words. "You know who Oracle is?" I asked in shock. I had expected this case to be involved with Oracle, but this was a whole other beast entirely! They could give us answers here and now if they really knew this much!

N was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I'm afraid not... The situation didn't exactly go as we had planned. Y came to us roughly a week and a half ago to say that she had figured out who our perpetrator was. She said that she had figured out which of our agents was a traitor working for Oracle. However, she later revealed that our supposed traitor was actually Oracle themselves," he explained. "We weren't exactly sure what to do with that information, so we had her keep quiet about it for the time being. She was never able to tell us the truth though... I suspect that the papers on her desk that went missing had to do with Oracle's real identity."

"Everybody inside and out of Interpol is clamoring to learn who Oracle really is behind the mask. I can't think of any other motive for why somebody would want her dead," M went on. "In fact, there's another possibility being proposed, which makes me even more of a suspect, unfortunately..."

"I have a bad feeling about this," frowned Yuri. "What could dig this hole even deeper for us? Whatever it is, it can't be good."

"The police seem to think that I'm Oracle," frowned M. "Like I said before, the previous head of Interpol was removed from his position after he was exposed for corruption. I was set to take his place. The police suspected that there was some sort of foul play going on with my sudden promotion from regular detective to head of Interpol. I hadn't even worked with Interpol before when I was sent to work there, which makes it even more peculiar."

"They think that he got rid of the previous head of Interpol so that he could take the position for himself," N went on. "That means that, in a way, they could suspect him of being Oracle or somebody involved with them."

"It must be the latter since Oracle is female, right?" Yuri asked, placing one hand on her chin.

"Yes, you're right," nodded M. "Oracle has a motive for committing this crime. If they were in Interpol and they heard of their potential future exposure, they could have lashed out and killed Y to keep her quiet. That would also explain why the papers went missing. They had to cover their tracks."

"I thought Oracle had never committed any crimes," I remarked. "I don't know why they'd suddenly start to kill people."

"It's a matter of life and death in this situation. If Y revealed who they really were, then they'd undoubtedly be assassinated within a matter of days, if not hours. To keep from being killed, they could have easily murdered Y," M explained.

"It sounds like this is our chance to learn about Oracle like we thought," Deirdre whispered softly. "Do you know who Y was suspecting at the time? Is there anybody who you think could be Oracle and thus a potential suspect in this case?"

"Not really. We left the case to Y and O, even if it wasn't making much progress," N told us. "They worked together rather well, but it seemed that they would hit a roadblock whenever they came close to finding out the truth. It was almost like there was some sort of outside force stopping them."

"I heard that O was investigating the case on the lake for that very same reason. She thought that Oracle had something to do with it, and once again, the case's motive had to do with the exact spy," I recalled. "I didn't see that coming, let me tell you... We didn't talk for very long, but I got the feeling she was pretty passionate about her work. I bet she would be a strong candidate for a witness knowing a lot about the case. Do you know if she was aware of who Y thought was Oracle?"

"I don't think Y told her. Y told us that she was only telling us that she thought she figured out who Oracle was," N told us. "She was prepared to tell us exactly who it was, but we told her not to."

"What? Why not?" I asked. "This was your chance to figure out exactly who this spy that invaded your privacy was."

"We didn't want to stir up a fuss yet. She made it sound like a huge deal, like it was one of our top agents," M frowned. "Interpol has been in a bit of a chaotic state as of late because of Oracle. A few other agents, those working in our technology branch, have run into trouble because of Oracle. They sent us a letter about how a few of them were selling out secrets to other companies. We had to take care of that issue at the time. We couldn't exactly take the time to get rid of Oracle when we had to get rid of those who were more immediate threats to company security. We were planning on talking to Y later on in the week to ask for the truth. Things have been winding down since that incident, so we're finally ready to take care of it."

"The people who were exposing company secrets... Do you have any idea what happened to them? Were they arrested?" I questioned.

N nodded. "They were, yes. Oracle sent in a list of names that had been discovered to have ties with criminal groups, so we had them all arrested. Confessions were gathered as well, making things a lot easier. In a way, they helped us out a great deal with all that's happened recently," he said.

"That was another reason why we held back for a little while. We didn't want Oracle to be taken out of the equation if they were able to help us find anybody who was hiding secrets from us. That could result in a collapse of the company if they weren't taken care of. Their help was necessary at that time, so we couldn't interfere with them yet," M continued. "Y seemed to understand, but she still seemed a little bit nervous."

"Come to think of it, she's been acting rather strange this past week and a half," N remarked. "I heard that she and O have stopped talking. They haven't been seen together in ages, not since Y came to talk to us about what she had found. I never knew what was going on, but I figured they had just gotten into a little argument and would resolve it in a few days. That happens sometimes when the intensity gets to you. This job isn't exactly easy for the employees because of all the pressure."

"We should definitely go and talk to O when we head to the crime scene. If she knows something, it's critical that we hear about it so we can figure out more about Oracle. If that spy really is the culprit in this case, everything we can learn will be helpful," Yuri suggested. "This is our best chance at learning the truth behind all that's happened recently. We can't let it just slip away."

"I agree," nodded Deirdre. "Any wastes of time won't do us any favors..."

"We should probably head on down there soon," I said to M. "Thank you to both of you for telling us so much about what's been going on recently. I really do appreciate all that you've done. I didn't expect you all to be so kind on the matter given your jobs. You have to keep secrets all the time, so I wasn't sure if you'd be ready to open up so easily."

"It's not like I have a choice. The evidence they have against me is incriminating as can be. I don't really want to go to jail when I didn't commit this crime. Interpol has been struggling enough with all of this recent Oracle business. I can't just let the company fall to pieces now," M told us. "In order to get into Interpol, you're going to need a letter from me. The place has tight security as I'm sure you would imagine. Not everybody is allowed inside. You need to have a guard as an escort. You also need a signed paper to say that you're permitted to enter the area."

M looked around the room for a moment before finding a pad of paper under the table he was sitting in front of. He leaned down and picked it up alongside a pen attached to the top of it. He clicked the pen open and began to write on it quickly. Once he was finished, M read over the note a few times and slid it through the small slit at the bottom of the glass. "This should allow you to get inside without any issues. Most of the officers should be alright if you say you're my lawyers, but this will help if they need extra convincing," he told us. "Try not to lose it. It'll be a bit of a pain to write another one with me stuck in here. It's quite the drive from here to Interpol, so making a second note would severely cut back on your investigation time."

"Thank you for your help," Deirdre nodded, a small and serene smile on her face. She turned to N next. "Will you be coming with us?"

N shook his head frantically. "I-I'm afraid not... I don't want to leave M here alone, if that's okay. I know that the detention center can be a bit miserable from what I've heard of it, so I can't really bring myself to walk away while he's stuck in here," he told us. He began to fidget nervously with the hem of his jacket. He gulped nervously and looked up with an awkward smile. "I'm wishing you luck. Could you come back and tell us how the investigation is going after you've finished looking around over there? I'm sure M will want to know if any evidence regarding his innocence has been found before the trial starts tomorrow. Going into it without that knowledge can be terrifying."

"Of course, we can do that," I smiled. "Once we've wrapped up our investigation, we'll come back here and tell you all about it. I hope that can ease your worries a little bit. From what I've heard in the past, it really does help to know a little about the trial ahead of time."

"We'll be waiting for you," M told us. "If you have any other questions, feel free to ask us. If you talk to some of the agents there, they should be willing to open up to you if you say that we sent you. A majority of them are loyal enough to us to explain anything you want to know about."

"I get the feeling this note you gave us will be very handy," I grinned. "Now, it's time for us to head out. Thank you for everything. I promise that we'll prove your innocence."

M nodded. "I'll be counting on it," he said simply as we walked from the room. Once we were gone, I heard him strike up a conversation with N, but I couldn't quite make out what they were saying as we got further and further away.

We stopped walking once we were outside of the detention center. Yuri stretched her arms upwards. "This case is going to be interesting, that's for sure. We're going to one of the most important places in the country to defend an international agent from murder charges. This is going to be great!" she exclaimed.

"It's also going to be difficult. There's a potential motive in play, the murder weapon can be used against us, and he doesn't have an alibi. Plus, he had exclusive information regarding Oracle from the victim about knowing who it is. That only solidifies his potential motive," Deirdre pointed out. "In other words, we're going to have to be careful. Any slip-ups could result in a loss for us because of all that's working against us here."

"Let's go on and see the crime scene then. The more that we know about the case, the easier it will be to come up with a solid counterattack," I suggested. "I hope the other agents will be willing to help us out like he said. We're going to be in serious trouble if they refuse us while we're down there, so this note is going to be a lifesaver. I can already tell."

"Does anybody here even know where Interpol is?" asked Yuri. "I'm sure that we can look it up, but if what M said is true, it's quite the drive. The sooner we can head out, the better for us, especially if it's a long way away."

"I guess our chances of finishing that paperwork tonight have just gone down the drain," I said with a small smile. "We can do it tomorrow, right?"

"I'm afraid not. We have to go to the trial tomorrow, don't you remember? I don't think either one of you is going to have time to finish it up," Deirdre told us.

I felt my stomach drop. "Dang... I guess we really should get going then. We can't turn that stuff in late if we want to avoid the wrath of Mr. Morix," I told them. "Time to pile into the car..."

"Is there anything else we want to discuss before we leave?" Deirdre questioned as we walked over to her car. She pressed a button on her keys to turn the car on. The doors clicked open not long after. We all clambered in at hearing the sound.

"I don't think so," Yuri said before speaking again a moment later. "Actually, let's address the elephant in the room. It looks like we're going to find out the truth about Oracle during this case. That's not what I saw coming at all. It appears we're going to have to drag the truth out of Mr. Morix sooner than I expected, which isn't exactly ideal, is it?"

"We'll just have to go with it," I shrugged. "With more information from this case, it'll be easier to take care of things with Mr. Morix, so I suppose we should just count our blessings."

Deirdre pulled the car out of its parking spot. "We can keep talking about it on the way, if you all would like."

"The maps app on my phone says it's about half an hour away," Yuri remarked with a sigh. "It looks like we're going to have enough time for that conversation and more."

**August 31**

**Interpol Headquarters**

**3:45 PM**

**Lily Shield**

The first thing I thought after we arrived at Interpol was that the place was huge.

The building was towering, even more so than I expected. I felt like an ant being compared to a human foot looking up at it. In a way, it made me dizzy with the way the clouds were rolling behind it slowly. I looked over at Yuri and saw that she was about to trip over her feet. I dove forwards and caught her by the arm. "Are you okay?" I asked.

Yuri nodded slowly. "Man, this place is even bigger than I could have expected," she whispered. "I didn't even think buildings went that high up..."

"I suppose we should have seen that coming knowing that this is a government building, and an important one at that," Deirdre remarked. "Let's go on and head inside. I don't think we'll get much done by standing out here and marveling how lovely it looks."

We took a few steps towards the door, but we ended up being stopped by a police officer in rather dark blue clothing. He held out his hands before himself in a stopping motion. "You cannot enter this area! Interpol is currently on lockdown due to a murder that recently took place!" he exclaimed at us.

I reached into my purse and pulled out the note that M had written for us. "We're his lawyers, sir. M hired us to defend him from murder charges," I explained.

The officer hesitantly sighed and let us pass by. I felt a smile appear on my face as we walked past him. I had to admit, I felt powerful like this. Not everybody was allowed to just walk into Interpol without any issues. It really made you feel like you were one of the most important people in the world, a feeling that I was not exactly familiar with as a simple lawyer living in a simple area. Even if it was unfamiliar, it was most certainly welcome.

Deirdre pushed open one of the double doors at the front of the building. They didn't creak at all, as if we didn't already know the place was fancy already.

We were instantly greeted with a lobby fancier than those I had ever seen before. There were a few couches here and there, each one free of stains, looking as if nobody had ever touched them before. A front desk sat nearby, so it was structured in a similar way to what we had back at the agency. I never would have compared the agency to a place as grand as this otherwise. They were on completely separate levels, even if both places were nice in their own little ways.

It didn't take long for us to be greeted by a familiar face as we made our way through the large lobby. In fact, there were two of them, making it even better.

I clapped my hands together as we dashed up to Detective Wattson and Detective Erikson. "Hey!" I cheered. "I didn't expect to see you two around here! Are you the detectives working on this case?"

Detective Wattson began to smile. She looked at Detective Erikson with a smile that was so clearly lovestruck. "Yes, we are," she grinned. In truth, Detective Wattson looked more like an excited schoolgirl than an adult doing her job. "Toby and I were asked to come in and help out with the investigation."

"I would have expected them to ask for Interpol agents to act as detectives," Deirdre admitted. "They know the building much better than anybody from the precinct does."

"It was a matter of suspicion," Detective Erikson explained. "There are very few agents with alibis from the time of the crime, so a lot of people can be considered suspects. The police don't want agents who could have committed the crime to be on the job since they could tamper with evidence."

"So, they're open to the possibility of other culprits?" Yuri asked hopefully.

Detective Wattson shrugged. "I suppose so, in a strange way. They've been focused on the head of the branch for the time being, but I could certainly see them finding others to be suspicious. It's hard to narrow everything down when only two people have alibis for the time of the crime. Most other agents ended up being alone in the dark because of a power outage that took place."

"Who had alibis?" I questioned.

"N and O, two of the agents at Interpol. N said that he was going to find lawyers for the defendant, and judging by the fact that you're here, I suspect that he's succeeded," Detective Erikson told us. "As for O, she was the partner of the victim where investigation was concerned."

"We heard about that, yeah," I nodded. "N told us that he wanted us on the case because O and Y were looking into Oracle and this case might have something to do with them. I guess they're pretty convinced Oracle is involved if they dragged common people into it..."

"This case is a doozy, that's for sure," Detective Wattson commented. "With so many potential suspects, it'll be hard to narrow down who did it if the defendant isn't our culprit. The power outage could leave so many people with time to commit the crime."

"That's unfortunate, but I suppose it's just a reason for us to get started," I suggested. "Do you have the autopsy report for us? We haven't gotten a copy of it yet, so it would be great if we could have one."

Detective Erikson nodded and produced a file in a manila folder. I accepted it with a grateful smile and nod. He responded with something similar when I took it. Deirdre and Yuri both moved closer to me so they could easily peer over my shoulder as I opened it and read it to myself:

_Name: Braylee Stern_

_Age: 33_

_Gender: Female_

_Cause of Death: Blunt force trauma to right temple. Death was instantaneous_

_Time of Death: 11:05 AM_

_Other: Victim's head smashed a glass vase when the two made contact, the glass vase being the murder weapon. Vase was found broken near the body. A few cuts were found surrounding the wound due to the shattering of the glass._

"That sounds like what we've heard so far," I commented as I shut the folder. "I heard it was impossible to lift prints from the vase because of how badly it was splintered on impact."

Detective Wattson nodded. "I'm afraid you heard correctly. At this point, the vase is nothing more than a pile of rubble. We wouldn't have even known what it was if not for N identifying it as a vase that had been in her office for about six months. That's how bad the shattering was," she told us.

"That sounds pretty serious," I frowned. "But I guess there isn't much of anything we can do about it now... Is there anything else you can tell us about the case?"

"What motive is the police force using against the defendant? We heard what he thought it was, but some confirmation would be really helpful," Yuri said.

"We can tell you that, sure," Detective Erikson told us. "It all has to do with Oracle and a few struggles with Interpol. A few weeks ago, a number of people in the technology area, more commonly known as the Q Branch, a group run by an agent by the name of Q, were found to be selling information to those who paid them highly enough. Oracle exposed this to M and N through an anonymous note, though there weren't any prints on it. With some investigation, they learned that it was true."

"All of those agents were arrested. Shortly after, the victim told M and N that she had figured out who Oracle was and was ready to tell them," Detective Wattson continued. "We theorize that M might have killed her because he could have been involved with Oracle. He was one of the only people who knew Y had knowledge of Oracle's identity. If he was involved with Oracle, then Y would have been a serious thorn in his side if she came forward with the truth. Those involved with Oracle could be arrested or assassinated for their involvement, which we've seen quite a bit recently."

"I see... That was what he told us as well when we visited him down at the detention center earlier," Deirdre commented. "I find that to be a bit of a difficult motive to work around... On one hand, it's all hypothetical, so it's hard to prove it true... On the other hand, since it's all hypothetical, it's hard to prove it isn't true either. With the way you're talking, you don't have any evidence he's involved with Oracle. Is this all just a theory at the moment?"

"Pretty much," Detective Wattson admitted. "Even if Oracle is involved with this case quite a bit, we don't have much evidence, if any, regarding their involvement with the case. We'll be sure to give you any information we find as it appears. For the time being, there isn't anything though, so stay in the area if you want to get your hands on that stuff."

"Thank you for all that you've done for us. It means a lot," I smiled. "Do you think you'd be able to take us to the scene of the crime now? We don't exactly know our way around here since we've never been to Interpol. I suppose that isn't exactly surprising because we're pretty normal people, but we still need to get around here."

Detective Wattson began to shift through her papers for a moment, muttering a few things under her breath as she flicked over them. When she found what she was looking for, Detective Wattson smiled. "Ah, okay, here it is," she declared. She extended a paper out towards me. "This is a map of Interpol. I hope it'll be helpful with getting around. I understand the building is a bit intimidating wit how large it is."

I took the paper and smiled thankfully her way. "This is much appreciated. Thank you," I said. I turned the map around and looked at it. There were multiple pages, now that I looked closer. I didn't even want to know how many floors this place had...

"If you want to find the case's witness, she'll probably be up in her office on the fourth floor," Detective Erikson told us. "It's the O agent we mentioned earlier. She said she'd be staying there so we could find her easily if we ever needed to talk to her again."

"That's nice and convenient. I'm glad we won't have to go on a grand witness hunt to find her now," Yuri smiled. "That map you gave us has her office marked, right? The fourth floor isn't exactly much to go on with how huge this building is."

"All the offices of the agents are put on the map so you can find them easily," Detective Wattson smiled. "It's pretty easy to get lost in here, so I'm sure you'll be able to put it to use quickly. If you need to talk to any agents, their offices will be marked on there. If you're going to find them, that will be the best place to start with, regardless of if they're in their offices or not."

"I can't even begin to say how thankful we are to you for all that you have done," Deirdre said, bowing her head forwards. "This means a lot to us."

"It's no problem," Detective Erikson assured her. "We should probably get back to questioning witnesses, if that's alright with you. Should you need us, we'll be around here for the next few hours. We're always happy to help you out, so don't hesitate to ask."

"If it's alright with you, we're going to head on up to talk to O. She might have something helpful to tell us about the crime," I said. "We're sort of on a time crunch here because of the long drive and other obligations."

"That's okay. We have other stuff to do as well," Detective Wattson smiled. She took Detective Erikson's hand as he waved and walked away. I was sure that I saw her face flush pink as they disappeared from sight.

"She definitely likes him, and he's definitely clueless," Yuri declared proudly once they were gone.

"I agree. The blushing says everything," I agreed. "I don't think that's really going to help us out in the grand scheme of things, but I don't think it matters. It's nice information to have, I suppose."

"We should go on and find O now. We're still in a rush, so talks of romance can wait until the car ride home, if that's okay with you two," Deirdre cut in.

"Okay, you have a point," I admitted. "Let's go on and investigate like Deirdre said."

Yuri and I headed for the elevator, Deirdre following us. I pulled out the map once again and flipped it to the first page. It said at the top that it was for the first and second floors. I turned it over, going to the next part of the packet, and found what I was searching for. This paper was for the third and fourth floors.

Deirdre pressed the button for the elevator and watched the doors shut before peering over my shoulder. "Do you know where we'll be going after we get out of the elevator?" she asked.

"It looks like we'll be turning right," I told her. "Her office is at the far end of the hall, so it's a bit isolated from the rest of the floor."

"I guess that makes sense for somebody investigating a secretive spy," Yuri shrugged. The doors slowly opened, prompting us to step out. An automated voice told us that we were on the fourth floor as Yuri continued to speak. "Maybe she'll know who Oracle is. She was the partner of the victim, so I can't imagine why she wouldn't have that information."

"But M said that Y didn't even tell O about it," I frowned. "Did they have some sort of falling out?"

"I recall M and N mentioning that they weren't even talking as of late, so that's certainly possible," Deirdre pointed out. "Regardless, we should stay focused. She's bound to have something for us."

After a few more moments of walking, we finally came to the door. I knocked at it and waited for an answer, putting the map away while I was watching for the door to open.

I had folded up the map and placed it into my purse when it finally opened to show a sleepy white-haired Interpol agent. She rubbed at her eyes and spoke softly. "Hi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been reading so much these past few days that I keep forgetting to publish things on here. Sorry about that.
> 
> -Digital


	43. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 3

**August 31**

**Interpol Headquarters**

**4:05 PM**

**Lily Shield**

I gasped upon realizing who it was we were standing before. "Hi, O!" I said excitedly. "I didn't expect to be meeting you again under these circumstances."

O rubbed her eyes a second time before seeming to realize who I was. "Hi..." she repeated mindlessly, yawning to herself. "You're here about the murder case, aren't you? Come on in, I guess... I think you want to know about what I heard and saw at the time of the crime... That's what everybody wants today..."

"You seem a bit less chipper than before," I frowned. I already knew why, but I wanted to make a little bit of casual conversation before getting down to business. I was getting the feeling that she needed that with how droopy she was appearing.

"I'm so tired... Everybody here keeps asking me what I saw at the time of the murder... Can't they just write it down or record it or something?" O asked. She let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. "At least it's somebody new this time..."

"We should probably introduce ourselves," said Yuri. "I'm Yuri Rinko. This is Deirdre Brigit, and I'm assuming you already know Lily Shield. We're the defense team on this murder case. We do need to ask you a few questions, but we're going to work as hard as we can to make this as painless as possible, okay?"

O nodded slowly. "Okay, sure... Let's go on and get this over with... I hate talking to people about this stuff... It's just saying the same thing over and over again... Don't they ever get sick of hearing it again and again? I know that I do, and I'm the one telling the story..." she grumbled. O flopped down in her seat behind her desk and shut her eyes. "Go on and start asking questions. I'll answer them if I can."

"Okay," I smiled, hoping my optimism would be enough to cheer her up at least a little bit. I highly doubted that would be the case, but I could hope, couldn't I? "What were you doing before the crime took place?"

"I was in my office here," O answered. "Y's office is just down the hall, to give a bit of perspective on where I was compared to the crime scene... It's about a thirty second or so walk from here to there, give or take a little bit... Does that help you at all?"

I nodded to myself. I reached for a pen and looked up at her. "May I?" I asked.

O opened her eyes and looked at my fingers. She stared at them for a moment before nodding. I picked it up, clicked it open, and began marking the thirty second walk detail down on the paper map. I let it clink back into the cup once again after I was done. "Go on," I told her once I realized her eyes were closed. Man, she really was tired...

"I was chilling out in here doing some research on my own about the Oracle case when I heard a crashing sound from a few doors down. I heard a door slam a few seconds after that, but I didn't think anything of it for a moment or two, but I decided to snoop when I remembered the crash. I don't interact much with the other people in this hallway unless I have to, so I didn't want to snoop anywhere I wasn't supposed to. Everybody always told me that was going to get me into trouble, so I left them be," O told us. She sighed and shook her head. "The crash was enough to get me moving, so I got out of my seat and decided to head for wherever the sound had come from."

"How did you figure out which room it was from?" I asked next.

"I was with a few others, as a matter of fact. Well, I say a few, but I really mean one other. It was N. Both of us had overheard the sound and wanted to know what it was about. We met up by coincidence while going to search for the sound. He said it was probably coming from Y's office, so we tried to get in, but the door was jammed. He didn't know what was blocking it, but it was certainly something strong."

"Were you able to get in?" Yuri questioned.

O shook her head. "No, we weren't. The power went off while we were trying to ram on the door and call out for Y. She wasn't answering. We didn't get the chance go into the room until after the power came back on because of how the power outages work here."

"Do they not work like regular power outages?" Deirdre inquired.

"Not really. There's a backup generator here to keep complete outages from taking place. For some reason, it was turned off. When the power is cut completely, then all of the doors are instantly covered by a layer of metal. It normally hangs out in the walls, but when the power is cut, all the doors slam shut. I don't know how it would do that if the power is off, but Interpol has fancy enough technology to pull it off," O continued. "The metal kept us from being able to ram on the door further, so we decided to back off and leave it alone for the time being. N suggested we go and investigate the room where the power is."

"Is that on this floor as well?" Yuri asked, peeking over to look at the map in my hands.

O nodded. "It's the center room of the floor. All the other rooms are part of a hallway that wraps around it, though it does connect to the outside of the building on one side," she explained. "Of course, we weren't able to get inside of the power room because of the outage... There was metal over that door too, so we had to wait outside."

"How long were you waiting out there for the door to open?" I asked with a frown.

"I'd say about fifteen minutes. I don't know how anybody would have been able to escape though. Whoever turned off the power would have been stuck inside since the doors shut nearly right away. Unless they were able to get out from a window, it would have been impossible, and even so, this is up quite a few floors. It would have to be very premeditated in order for them to get in and out easily," O continued. "I can't tell you for sure who could have done that though. It would have taken a lot of knowledge of the building and quite a bit of authority to get others to help them in that way. I can't exactly say much more on the matter since it's not really something I know much about... I've told you about all that I know..."

"It sounds as if this murder is quickly becoming much more complicated than we could have expected," I sighed with a shake of my head. "It will take a lot of deductive reasoning to figure out the case at this rate..."

"If you ask me, this is quickly turning into one of the most difficult cases we have ever gotten down at the agency, which is saying quite a bit," Yuri sighed. "Anyways, continue telling us about the power outage. Any information will be great to hear about. We're going to hear about it no matter what anyways, so it might as well be on our own terms."

"Well... When we finally could get inside of the power room after the outage had ended, we saw a few suspicious things inside," frowned O. "Sitting right on the table was M's identification card. Most rooms that are important like the power room require a key card to get inside. Only certain people can get inside of them to keep anything really bad from taking place. It's a security measure."

"And because his key card was in there, it meant that he was in there on the day of the crime," Deirdre frowned. "I don't think I quite understand one thing though... Where was he at the time?"

"Don't know. That's one of the reasons that he was arrested. N pointed out the ID card sitting on the desk in there and sent me off to call the police. Because of the power outage, we didn't have any good service in the area. Interpol Headquarters are intentionally hidden away from most of the world so that people don't happen to stumble upon them. It's far from getting good service without the company network online, so we couldn't really call for help while the outage was going on," O continued. "After the police arrived, they asked everybody what they saw. I told them exactly what I'm telling you now. They arrested M afterwards."

"N mentioned while we were talking to him and M that they were separated during the outage. N was clearly with you, but do you have any ideas as to where M could have gotten off to?" Yuri questioned.

"Don't hold me to my word on this since I don't know for sure, but I heard from the police that he was hiding in another part of the power room, a part that isn't visible from the doorway. The key card was on the table, but M was supposedly in another section of the room. He and N talked together while I was off talking to the police. I don't know what they were chatting about, but it seemed important. N got all quiet and didn't say anything loud enough for me to hear, even if I was just outside," O continued.

"How did you not see them together when they were leaving the room?" I asked.

"The police told me to go outside the building to meet them when they arrived. I followed those directions and thus had to leave them behind for a few minutes. N and M came out a few minutes after I did, just as panicked as I was. We told M about what we had been doing, but he didn't get the chance to tell me his side of the story before the police arrived to question us about the murder," O frowned. "All of this is so stressful..."

"We'd be happy to talk to you about anything else relating to the case if you're feeling overwhelmed," I told her. "You don't have to face demons like this all on your own. We can't have you enduring a breakdown in the middle of court. That would be far from good."

O nodded. "I agree. It would only cause issues for everyone, both me and other people. I'll try and keep calm, but if I need anything, then I'll come to you for it right away. I hope it doesn't end up as an issue though..." she whispered with a frown. She shook it off and then looked back up at me. "Anyways, I'm a bit worried about all of this, in case you didn't already know that much."

Deirdre raised her hand to get O's attention. "I remember hearing earlier that somebody was selling important information from inside Interpol. What do you know about that?" she questioned.

"So you've heard about that fiasco... It's all to do with Oracle. Things have not been going very well lately around here. A few of our information agents working under the technology branch were revealed by Oracle to be selling information to others. We've managed to root out quite a few as of now. M wanted the investigation into Oracle to come to a stop until we had gotten rid of all of them. Y kept on looking into it, but she was being pretty careful and did it on the down low," O told us. "About ten agents were revealed to be selling the information. We're going through some intense investigation to make sure that we've gotten everybody."

"Didn't the previous head of Interpol end up victim to Oracle's exposure as well?" Yuri asked. "That's what we heard earlier at least."

"Yeah. He was involved in some corrupt dealings and was immediately removed from his position to be arrested. The company was in chaos for a few months until M took up that place in his stead. He's been able to provide us some stability, but things have still been far from optimal. The exposure of our information agents has caused quite a few problems, but we've somehow been managing. Everything is supposed to stay strictly between agents who are assigned to specific projects, like how Oracle information is meant to stay between me and Y. Of course, things weren't exactly going like that..." O's voice trailed off as she stared down at the ground with a frown.

"Did something happen between you two?" I asked with a frown. "It sounds like something has been going wrong in recent days. Come to think of it, M and N mentioned something similar. She said Y was acting a bit strangely these past few weeks."

"I can't say why, but she stopped talking to me about two weeks ago. We were still assigned to the Oracle case, so I didn't know why she was getting so distant. I asked M if something had happened, but he didn't claim to know anything on the matter. It was all rather strange, but I have no idea what's going on. She practically refused to talk to me. Of course, we were working on figuring out if any other spies were within the building, so we had more important things to do, but it was still weird," O told us. She shook her head. "I wish I knew what was up with her, but nobody seems to have a clue."

"I figured that you two just had a falling out, but it sounds like nothing happened to make you two fight. If you really didn't know anything, it makes the victim's behavior even weirder. Do you think she figured something out that could cause her to close herself off like this?" Yuri questioned.

O shook her head once again. "I wish I could tell you. Y was always rather open with her emotions, but with what's been going on recently, she's changed. She's so much quieter than she was before, like she's suddenly afraid of everybody. I don't know what could have scared her that much to change her personality so drastically. Nobody else seemed to get it either. People would come to me from time to time and ask if she was okay. It wasn't like I knew or anything, and if I did, we wouldn't be in this situation... I can't help but wonder if that weird behavior had something to do with her murder."

"Would somebody try to kill her over anything she could have found out?" I wondered. "I have no idea why anybody would kill a nice girl like her... Plus, from what we've seen so far, it was premeditated pretty far in advance. What kind of person would try and do something so cruel?"

"I don't know. That's what you're here to figure out though," O said with a faint smile. It was clear how tired she really was when she said that. She rubbed at her eyes a few seconds later. "Do you think that I could go back into my quiet time? I was planning on catching a nap. It's hard to get sleep when there are officers hounding you at every step."

"Go right ahead," Yuri smiled. "If we need anything, we'll gladly come back and ask. If you need us, just come on and find us. There's no reason this can't have mutual benefits in this case."

O shot her a ghost of a grin before watching us walk away. We closed the door afterwards. I saw her settle down behind her desk and close her eyes just before the door shut. I couldn't help but feel a little bit bad for her. It must have sucked to be practically trapped at work like that.

"Maybe we should head over to the crime scene. We still need to check out the body and such," Deirdre suggested. The room should be just down the hall, yes? We should probably check the map again just to be sure."

We got the map out once again and began to unfold it. It took us a minute or two to find the room due to the vast number of rooms on the map, but once we had located it, we started walking. Luckily for us, it wasn't too large of a distance, so we'd be there in next to no time.

When we found the room, the door was cracked slightly. I glanced in cautiously before creaking the door open. It was pretty eerie and knowing that there was a body on the other side of the door didn't help at all.

When we finally got inside, there were quite a few police lingering around the room. I didn't see anybody familiar, so I focused on the environment rather than the people inside of it.

The first thing I noticed was that it was messy, but that seemed to be a bit of an understatement. The amount of trash in the room was more than excessive. There were papers scattered all over the floor. There was a corner of the room practically covered in pictures taped to the wall and red string connecting them. The handwriting was nonsensical, none of the letters being at all cohesive. Files were spilled out over the desk, leaving barely any of the wood visible. There was one spot on the desk that was freed from the suffocating files, which was more than a little out of place.

I turned my attention away from the desk to focus on the body. It was sprawled out on top of many discarded papers that were now stained with blood. The victim was bleeding intensely from a head wound on the temple. It had mostly dried out now, but it was still incredibly gruesome.

I noticed a vase was sitting on the ground nearby. It had been shattered into countless pieces, so I only knew it was a vase because I had heard earlier from others that the pile of broken shards had once been something resembling a vase. I knew now why nobody could lift any prints from the thing. It looked like somebody had gathered up the pieces after first breaking it before smashing it maybe two or three times more. I didn't think I had ever seen something so broken, which was saying a lot since I wrecked a few lamps as a child playing outside games inside.

"This crime scene is going to be unique to investigate," I heard Yuri mutter with a shake of her head. She didn't seem anywhere near pleased with how this was turning out, not that I could blame her. The mess was something I wasn't particularly fond of either. There was no way this could have happened during the crime. Nobody had ever mentioned a struggle taking place, and even if there had been a struggle, I doubted it would have destroyed the room like this. I wanted nothing more than to clean the room up, but I knew that wasn't going to be allowed for quite some time. How could anybody let their office get this dirty and chaotic?

"It certainly looks like the victim died to a blow to the head, just like the autopsy said. There aren't any other wounds in sight," I commented. "That's a lot of blood though... I don't quite know what I expected from this scene, but it certainly wasn't something this messy and beaten up..."

"We'll have to endure it. M is counting on us," Deirdre pointed out. I nodded in response and crouched down next to the body. The papers underneath her head were covered in the same large and messy writing found in the corner with all the red string. I assumed it was the victim's, but I didn't know how she could at all read her own writing. I could barely tell when one letter ended and another began, so determining words seemed almost impossible.

"I wonder what all of these papers are about. I can barely read them," Deirdre said next. "I can only tell what a few letters are supposed to be, and I highly doubt that's ever going to be enough to read an entire page."

"I can try and decipher what it is. I have pretty messy writing myself, so I should be able to figure out a little bit," Yuri suggested. "Hand me a paper."

"I don't know if that's a good idea. We could get in trouble for going through papers at the crime scene. Let's sit down and look at the pages while they're still on the ground. I feel like that's going to be a lot better for all of us," I pointed out. "I don't want to get yelled at by the police. They're scary."

"I can't even try to deny that. They're terrifying when they start yelling at you," Yuri agreed. She shook with a sudden onslaught of shivers before sighing. "Let's try to read this... I don't think I'll be able to read the papers with blood on them. The handwriting is kind of faint, so I can't exactly read it through the blood. I don't think I'd be able to read it anyways regarding how hard it's written on the page."

"Do your best. Anything will be helpful. I can't say this will help us prove M's innocence, but we need as much as we can get when it comes to information," Deirdre encouraged, placing one hand on Yuri's shoulder.

The girl responded with a grin before getting down on all fours to look at the papers more closely. She almost looked like a dog trying to sniff for its prey, but in this case, the prey was the information hiding in the scrawled-out handwriting. It was a strange sight in a way, but I didn't question it. This was nowhere near the weirdest thing Yuri had done in my line of sight in the past 24 hours.

I was going to look around the other parts of the room, but I couldn't quite see anything I found particularly interesting. Aside from the papers and the body, I didn't see a single thing I could investigate on my own. I would have to wait for Yuri to finish up before I could continue.

Yuri smiled and got to her feet after she had been staring down for a sufficient amount of time. She stretched her arms up and spoke. "I think that all of these papers have to do with Oracle. I'm pretty sure this stuff has to do with research regarding the spy," she replied. "Nothing seems to indicate who Oracle really is, but I bet that there's something around here somewhere."

"I get the feeling somebody would have brought that up if they knew who Oracle was because of these papers... It seems like a fact far too important to want to leave out," I frowned. "I don't get it. They said that the victim had figured out who Oracle was already. Nobody can find anything indicating who they are though. Doesn't that seem a bit weird to you? I feel like somebody should have at least a sneaking suspicion..."

"M and N said that a stack of files was stolen the day of the crime though. I bet that those files had the critical information that we've been missing out on. If that's the case, it seems we're out of luck," Deirdre frowned. "It's unfortunate, but it can't really be helped."

"I wonder who could have taken it then," I said. "I mean, if the killer did it, then that makes you think that M couldn't have done it. He couldn't have hid anything on the premises without getting into serious trouble. The investigators have been looking around all day. They would have found the files pretty easily."

"That is, unless you factor in the idea of conspirators helping him out. Nobody could travel through rooms on the same floor without being spotted if that floor is several stories above the ground," Deirdre pointed out. "The culprit must have had some outside helpers to allow them to pull this off. I don't know how else they could have executed such a complex plot."

"It sounds like this case is going to be more than a little difficult to solve. I mean, it's not like any of our cases have been walks in the park, but the prosecution can use so much against us. I'm up for a challenge as much as the next guy, but I don't really want that challenge to land our client in jail for a crime he didn't commit," I sighed. "The prosecution could say that there's a solid motive in the possibility of our client being related to Oracle. There could very easily be accomplices to help the killer escape, and if you ask me, there have to be... We haven't found anything yet to poke a hole in their case."

"I'm going to assume that's because we haven't met the prosecution yet. I'm sure that we'll be able to formulate more of a case after talking to them... Come to think of it, I don't think we were ever told who the prosecutor on this case is. Fate has been keeping us from interacting, so we haven't seen them around here either..." Deirdre frowned. "I'm sure that we'll see them in a matter of time, but I feel like it's crucial that we learn more about the case sooner rather than later."

"I bet we can go and ask somebody around here to see if they know," I suggested. "Yuri, do you want to go and find Detective Wattson? She can probably tell us about who the prosecution is. She's been working with them this entire case, if she's been doing her job correctly. The detectives and prosecutors always work together on cases."

Yuri nodded and dashed out of the room, leaving Deirdre and me alone in the room. I crossed my arms and let out a sigh. "I can't help but feel like Oracle is going to be a very important part of this case... We might have to act on our suspicions regarding Mr. Morix sooner rather than later if we want the truth. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the truth found its way out before we find out the identity of the killer. Whether that's a good or bad thing is up for debate," I told Deirdre.

"Oracle only ever seems to bring trouble to the cases that we take on, but I guess that it can't be helped. We'll have to go through with it anyways," Deirdre frowned. "I'm starting to think that maybe we shouldn't have gotten tied into this... I know that something bad is going to be happening... We can pray the trial doesn't go too far downhill too quickly, but we can't help what happens."

"It'll be okay. We only need to have faith that things will be fine," l assured her, though I was sort of trying to convince myself as well as her. I was trying not to show it for her sake as well as mine, but I was a bit concerned about the biased nature of this trial as well as the involvement of Oracle. As excited as I had been to learn more about them, I didn't want to be thrust into something that was so obviously dangerous like this. Maybe Chrysalis was right in saying that Oracle should be avoided because they're dangerous...

"I bet Yuri will be back soon," Deirdre said. "Well, assuming that she didn't get lost... She seems like the type to easily lose her way in a large place like this... We still have the map, so it isn't like that's going to be doing her any good. We might have to go after her to make sure she doesn't end up in some kind of trouble, though she seems very good at that."

I sighed and shook my head. "We can't take that girl anywhere, can we?" I asked. "I guess it's okay though. She doesn't really need directional skills in court. It's pretty rare something like that comes up in a trial, so maybe that weakness is a fine one to have. It isn't exactly the most ideal thing ever, but it could be worse given her occupation."

However, it seemed as if our worries regarding her were misplaced. A few seconds after we finished talking about her, she slid into the room, a frown knit tightly on her features. She didn't seem to have gotten lost, so I decided to count that as one of the few blessings we had on this case.

"I figured out who the prosecutor is, but you aren't going to like it," frowned Yuri as she approached us. A panicked frown was etched on her face. "It's very far from being in our favor. Since Interpol is so important to the stability of the world, they chose a very important prosecutor to handle the case. Please, promise not to freak out when I tell you, okay?"

I frowned nervously. "Now you have me nervous. Who are we going up against? Whoever it is, it doesn't sound good..." I remarked.

Yuri took a deep breath before speaking once more. "The prosecutor we're going up against... It's Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, one of the best prosecutors this area has ever known."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this just before doing my math homework. 
> 
> I probably should have done my homework first.
> 
> -Digital


	44. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 4

**August 31**

**Interpol Headquarters**

**5:00 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

I let a frown form on my features after hearing what Yuri said about our rival. I had only ever heard of the prosecuting prowess possessed by Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, but from what I had been told, he was a formidable opponent to say the least. Mr. Morix had gotten that much across when he told us about the case from a year ago. He must have gotten his high position somehow, and I assumed it was because of how good he was at his job both in and out of the courtroom.

"It sounds like we're going to have our work cut out for us," Lily sighed with a shake of her head. "I bet that he's prosecuting because of the nature of this case. It's an exclusive case involving a spy and an organization meant to be closed off from the rest of the world. It's probably going to make our jobs a lot harder than they would be otherwise… The evidence stacked up against M isn't going to make it any better, but we're going to have to go along with it. It isn't like we have much of a choice otherwise…"

"Speaking of M, I think that we should go and talk to him. The detention center will be closing soon, and he asked us to go by and tell him what we found," Yuri suggested. "I'd rather not face his unbridled wrath, if that's okay with you guys."

"I think we should head down there now," I agreed. "We didn't get any major evidence, but it will still help us out to hear more from him. Admittedly, I'm a bit nervous about this, but we need to assure him things will be okay so his faith in us doesn't wither."

"After we see M, we can drop by the agency for a little while. I'm sure that Mr. Morix can give us a few tips on how to handle the case as well as how to face Chief Prosecutor Bespoke in court. The two of them have faced off countless times," Yuri said. "I've seen them battle it out, but I think he would be able to provide more substantial advice. I hope he decides to watch us tomorrow. I'm sure he would be happy to give us tips during recesses should we ask for them. He's like a wise old owl when it comes to courtroom battles."

"In other words, we should get going," Lily nodded. "The sooner we can see M, the sooner we can ask Mr. Morix for help. If you ask me, we're seriously going to need it. Our previous cases have been child's play in comparison to this level of difficulty… I can't say for sure if we're going to be up for it, but we need to try at the very least."

"I agree. I don't know who our culprit could be, but I believe in M. One of us would have picked up on it if he was lying about his innocence," I told them.

"Yeah, so we're in agreement that he didn't do it, but we need to prove it. It's a bit difficult to find evidence with how messy this room is and how stacked the case is against us," Lily went on. "It's not going to be easy, but it'll be fine. I have faith that we can press on through this and show who the real culprit is! Let's go, Team Morix! We can do it! With wit, perseverance, and some other third trait that I can't think of a name for at the moment, we will succeed!"

Lily pumped her fist into the sky and let out a triumphant yell. Yuri followed suit. The two of them dashed out of the room not after. I couldn't help but smile to myself as they disappeared from sight. I didn't know how they could be so chipper despite the dark and dreary situation we were faced with, but I welcomed it with open arms. It certainly helped to ease my worries, even just a little.

**August 31**

**Detention Center**

**5:30 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

To my surprise, N was still sitting on the side of the glass for visitors when we arrived. He and M were deeply engrossed in conversation, but their voices were far too low for me to be able to tell easily what they were saying. I didn't want to intrude upon their privacy, so I waited for them to stop talking before making myself known. Lily and Yuri were standing just behind me. "Hello," I said simply, unsure of how else to start up the conversation. I was praying that I wasn't interrupting them at all. It wouldn't sit well with me to know I had bothered some of the most important people in the area.

M looked up and nodded when he noticed me. N turned around and shot us a small and awkward wave. He moved the chair he was sitting in to the side, sharing a longing glance with M as he did so. I could sense some relationship between them they weren't talking about, but I didn't linger on it. I wasn't going to intrude any further than I likely had already.

"What did you find out while you were down there?" asked M, regarding us with serious eyes. Lily and Yuri pulled up extra chairs while I sat in the seat already set up on our side of the glass.

"We didn't find much in the way of proving your innocence," I admitted. "However, we still believe that you are innocent. I'm not going to leave you behind when we know that you didn't commit this crime."

"We heard that you were in the power room when the power went out," said Yuri with a frown. "Is that true?"

M hesitated before nodding. "Yes, I was," he told us. "I didn't turn off the power though. If you ask me, the system must have been hacked to turn off the power."

"Hacked?" Lily echoed. "What would lead you to believe that it had been hacked? Is there even any evidence that could indicate there was outside interference with the system? Then again, knowing Interpol, there is a lot of fancy equipment for everything, so that could change things..."

"There's a few systems in place to keep the company's data from being hacked. The programs are very difficult to put into place and even more difficult to decode. No average hacker would ever have a chance of getting through. However, the system was still broken through somehow, which indicates a very talented hacker," M continued to say.

"I spoke briefly with our main man in technology, Q. He said that somebody who would have been able to hack the system must have known well what they would be in for. In other words, they had prior knowledge as to what they would need to break through our security," N told us. "I'm sure you already know where I'm going with this. We already told you about the invasion of privacy taking place when our agents began to turn on the company to leak information in exchange for cash."

"So, you're saying that the information was sold to someone who had a motive to break into Interpol, kill the victim, and then turn off the power to cover for their escape," I concluded with a frown. "The agents selling out the company are responsible for this then."

"That wouldn't surprise me," N admitted. "They were probably fully aware of what they were doing and how it would impact the company, but in the end, they kept doing it for the cash. We don't even know for sure if all of them have been weeded out. I hope they have been, but none of us can say for sure. It's stressful, to say the least... Anybody who you see could very easily betray you. The threat is always there, but we're more on edge than usual since we know for sure it's going on."

"I don't even want to imagine how stressful that is," sighed Yuri with a shake of her head. "Not even being able to trust your friends... It sounds like a life you wouldn't want to endure. I hope that sort of thing never happens to me."

"Do you think that the information Y had was somehow leaked?" I asked next. "We looked at all of the paper in her office. It looked as if it had been thrown about in a wild manner. The culprit could have made that mess while looking for the papers that proved who Oracle really was. That would make sense, wouldn't you agree?"

M nodded. "It does sound plausible. If it got out that Y had the information regarding Oracle's true identity, she was in a lot of danger. I'm sure that you've heard of Occisor, the group that's been killing anybody they feel is a threat to their quest for Oracle's true identity. They could have a part in this. Of course, nobody can say for sure... It's hard to figure out what's going on given how this case is structured," he frowned.

"In other words, this is a mess," Lily grumbled. "That could be a potential motive though. With all that information being sold elsewhere, then anybody could have been told Y knew and broke into her office to get the files she had spent so many months putting together."

"I wonder why O wasn't a target. After all, she was Y's partner in the case. She hasn't seen any trouble recently though," I remarked. "There's also the matter of her strange argument with Y. I don't know where it came from, and apparently, O doesn't have a clue either. It seemed to come out of nowhere... I wish we could ask Y what happened, but that doesn't seem to be possible at the moment."

"It would probably be in our best interest to avoid channeling her, if you want the truth," Lily said. "I don't want to be in danger since I have the power to summon her and thus confess who Oracle really is... It's a risk that I don't exactly want to take. I'm sorry if it's at all inconvenient, but I'm afraid I don't have much of a choice in the matter."

"Don't worry about it, Lily. For now, we should focus on proving that M didn't commit this crime. It sounds like it's going to be hard, but it's our best bet at the moment. Plus, the proposition regarding a potential hacking taking place could help us out. The selling of information could help us out by providing a potential motive for other people. The prosecution will probably have an idea as to how it could be refuted, but it's a start, and I'm going to be happy with that," Yuri cut in. "Is there anything else of note you think we should be talking about in court tomorrow? Do you think the prosecution will bring anything else up that we haven't already mentioned?"

"They could try and ask more about Oracle. I don't know," M said bluntly. "Funny enough, when Chief Prosecutor Bespoke was in here earlier, he was pressing about if I knew, but when I said I didn't, he backed off and stopped asking about it. He then acted like he had never asked a thing about it to begin with. I've always heard that he's a little bit strange, but that in particular struck me as odd."

"I don't get it," I whispered, though my head was racing with thoughts of the picture and our suspicions of Oracle. He definitely fit into this puzzle somehow, even if we didn't quite know how. It would take a bit of digging to figure it out, but I got the feeling the truth was destined to be released at some point during this case for better or for worse.

"We can figure that out later. He's always been a bit on the weird side anyways. I mean, what normal person falls asleep in their office on a daily basis?" Yuri asked jokingly. "I'm sure that it's just Chief Prosecutor Bespoke being himself. I don't think we really need to worry about it... At the very least, I hope we don't need to worry about it. I don't know about you guys, but I don't think that we have the time to focus on that stuff so long as we're trying to figure out this case. We don't need any other bits of messiness to add to the pile."

"I agree. For the time being, let's focus on what we need to take care of in this case," I nodded before turning back to M and N. "I'm sure that there's something else that can help to prove your innocence... An alibi, false motive, anything..."

"Well... Maybe there is something," Lily cut in. "Think about it. If we have proof that there was a hacking to cause the power outage, then... Maybe we can use that to our advantage. If a hacker from the outside hacked the system, then it means you couldn't have turned off the power. That would at least count for something. Plus, I think that the prosecution will try to press that the culprit caused both the murder and the power outage, which we can definitely use here."

"In that case, I guess that we can call that lucky, at the very least," Yuri smiled. "I think that we should go by and talk to Mr. Morix soon, assuming that we're all wrapped up here. Are there any other questions that need to be asked?"

Yuri let the silence serve as her answer. Satisfied, she grinned and looked at M. "Thank you for everything. We'll show that you didn't do it tomorrow. I promise," she assured him.

"Thank you," nodded M before turning to N. "You should go home and get some rest too. I don't want you getting yourself sick from staying here too long."

N looked ready to argue, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he nodded. "Alright, M... I'll see you tomorrow. Can you try to stay out of trouble until then? I don't know if I'll be able to take it if you get tied up in an even larger issue..." he whispered.

"I'll be fine, N. Don't spend too long freaking out about it," he said with a dismissive gesture of his hand. "I suppose that I'll see you all later on. I believe that the trial will go well since you seem to be confident in your skills to prove my innocence. I'm putting my faith in you, so, not to be rude or anything, but don't blow it. I don't trust in people this way often."

I smiled despite his harsh phrasing. "I'll see you then," I told him simply, leading Yuri and Lily out of the detention center.

When we were outside, I turned to my companions. "It's time to head back to the agency," I said.

Yuri nodded her agreement. "Sounds good to me. Mr. Morix will be glad to see us, I'm sure... Wait, I just remembered something," she remarked, a frown creeping onto her features. "I got so caught up in the investigation... I completely forgot we had stuff to do after we finished up looking around down at Interpol..."

"What is it?" Lily asked. She thought for a moment before letting out a gasp. "The paperwork we procrastinated on! We never finished that!"

"Correction: you two never finished it. I took care of it earlier," I told them with a small smile. "You should have worked on it sooner... Granted, I suppose you didn't know we would end up having a case, but it pays to get things done earlier rather than later."

Lily let out a sigh and shook her head. "Let's just get back there. I can at least try to throw a little something together before Mr. Morix decides to roast the two of us," she murmured, making a mad dash for the car. I couldn't help but smile as Yuri ran after her. I trailed after them by a few feet, eager but still somewhat nervous regarding how Mr. Morix would respond to their behavior. I hoped and prayed internally they wouldn't get in trouble, but some deep part of me told me that was inevitable.

**August 31**

**Morix Law Offices**

**6:15 PM**

**Yuri Rinko**

When we got back to the agency, Mr. Morix was on the phone. He was pacing around the lobby area, talking quietly into the speaker. "So, you're going to be okay? Are you sure? Come on, you don't need to lie to me... You can't leave anyways, huh? That sounds dreadful... Alright, alright, I trust you. Just try to stay out of trouble, alright? I don't want to have to drive down there to dig you out of trouble... Alright, night. Get some sleep if you can. I'll be here if you need me," he said. Mr. Morix pulled the phone away from his face and pressed the button on the screen to end the call.

It wasn't until I spoke up that he noticed us. "Hey," I cut in simply.

Mr. Morix looked up and smiled. "Ah, hello," he greeted kindly. He looked to Lily and Deirdre with a nod. "Did you two end up finishing that paperwork for me?"

"We still need to do a little bit more," I admitted, feeling my cheeks flush red. "We'll get it in though. Promise. The investigation just threw us off a little bit. It's going to be okay."

"Just so long as you get it done as soon as possible, that's fine," Mr. Morix shrugged, sitting down on the nearby couch. He placed one arm on the top of the couch and gestured for us to sit down as well.

"Who were you talking to just now?" Lily asked. "You don't have to tell us if it's an invasion of privacy, but I'm a bit curious..."

"It was Chrysalis. I'm sure you remember how she left this morning to go out of town, yes?" Mr. Morix questioned, to which we all nodded. "Her plane ended up getting delayed until tomorrow due to a bad storm where she was set to land. She's stuck at the airport overnight, but the staff don't want anyone to go home in case they miss the flight, which is scheduled for the crack of dawn now. She's not too happy about it, but she doesn't have much of a choice in the matter."

"That's no good," I frowned. "Do you think she's going to be okay?"

"I'm sure of it. She can handle herself on her own for one night," Mr. Morix replied.

"Where is she headed?" Lily asked. "I don't think you ever properly told us.

"She's headed to Germany, if you can believe that. It's for a school trip," Mr. Morix explained. "She's been looking forward to it for quite some time now, so you can imagine how upset she must be that she's being delayed."

"I guess it's good that it's a school function," I remarked. "I mean, that's better than her being in the middle of a strange airport all by herself. That would terrify me completely. I don't know about her, but I feel like she would be at least a little nervous too."

"You make a good point," Mr. Morix nodded. "Anyways, how did the investigation go? I didn't hear very many details on the matter, so anything you can tell me would be great to hear."

"Honestly, it isn't going well," Lily frowned. "We've run into nothing but incriminating evidence. On top of that, we're going up against the district's chief prosecutor. If we can't figure out what we're doing soon, we're as good as screwed, and I'm not exactly looking forward to telling our client that the case is too hard for us."

"Ghastly's in court... I didn't expect that," Mr. Morix murmured. "He hasn't been on the prosecution for a trial in quite some time. The paperwork has been getting to him. Being the chief prosecutor and all, he doesn't get very much time to investigate cases of his own free will between all the paperwork and assignments given to him."

"Do you have any advice for going up against him?" Lily questioned. "I don't want to get wrecked when we face him. Our client is kind of a big deal, so I'd rather not get in trouble with him. We're defending the head of Interpol, for crying out loud."

"Well... He's obviously very good at what he does, but I'm going to assume that you already knew that," Mr. Morix began. "He's the type to point out any inconsistency he sees, even if it doesn't benefit him and his case. He values the truth above all else."

"Good thing we don't need to worry about corruption then. I know that a lot of prosecutors have an obsession with getting a perfect win record. I'd assume that it's some matter of pride for them, but I don't get that. I mean, why brag about something that was at the expense of others?" Lily mused. She shook her head and sighed. "I guess I'll never get that. I don't need to though. I mean, that's on them, and I don't want to get into that if I can help it."

"Let's focus on the case at hand," I suggested. "We have a lot of things to worry about because of all the evidence stacked up against us."

"Can you give me more specific examples? I might be able to help you out if you tell me what it's all about," Mr. Morix said, much to my satisfaction.

"Okay!" I chirped excitedly. "The murder took place earlier today in the hours of the morning. An agent at Interpol was found dead in her office, having been killed when somebody slammed a vase into her head. She was known to be investigating Oracle and was rumored to have figured out who the spy really was behind the disguise. Nobody can confirm nor deny those rumors aside from her employer and our client, M. He said that she came to him a few weeks ago to say she had figured out the truth."

"There was a power outage shortly after her death, though it took a while for the body to be discovered. The two witnesses on the case, agents N and O, were out in the hallway when the power outage took place, causing all of the doors to automatically shut for security reasons. They had heard a loud noise coming from the victim's office and had gone to investigate," Deirdre continued. "They were in the hallway for a little while until the power came back on. They went to the power room to look around and found the defendant inside, having been locked in when the power went out. O went into the office of the victim and saw the body, prompting her to call the police for help and head outside of the building to wait for backup. They didn't arrive for quite some time, but N and M were together the entire time O was gone."

"I see... Did anything else of note happen at the time? Even if it seems insignificant, it can ultimately seal the coffin of the culprit if it winds up being vital enough. Anything and everything can be important at the end of the day when it comes to murder trials," Mr. Morix told us.

"Well, some of the agents in the technology branch were revealed to have been selling information to high payers outside of the company. Oracle sent them a letter to expose the truth a few weeks ago. M and N have been firing anybody they deem to be a spy before having them arrested for selling out government secrets. It's always possible that one of the spies sold information to the culprit, so they would know how to break into the building and not get caught. We can't say if that happened for sure, but it's certainly something to consider just to be on the safe side," I explained.

"It sounds like this case is certainly something special," Mr. Morix murmured.

"We have a suspicion that a hacker caused the power outage from the outside. The technological expert of the company said that the firewalls that keep the company's data from being hacked had been eliminated after the power outage, so the possibility of a hacking is very much present. If we're lucky, he'll end up testifying in court tomorrow on the matter. If he does, we can declare that anybody from the outside who was given the information mentioned could have committed this crime with the proper accomplices," Deirdre went on.

"I think that will help you out at the very least," nodded Mr. Morix. "Anything that you can use to even propose that the defendant didn't do it. This is something of a locked room murder since it would only make sense that the culprit caused the power outage and killed the victim. With the defendant trapped inside the power room, the prosecution is certainly going to try and push for that. If they insist the defendant did both, the chance that somebody else hacked the system to cause the power outage can help you poke holes in the case."

"That's what we were thinking of, yeah," Lily said. "We were just wondering if you had any other advice for us tomorrow."

"For one, ask to hear the testimony of the technological expert you mentioned before. He can tell you more about the power outage than anybody else involved in the case can if he was able to tell that much about the firewalls so easily," Mr. Morix told us. "After that, see if you can press for a second day of investigation. I can't say for sure if Ghastly will have covered this base, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to talk to the arrested agents who exposed the company's secrets to outsiders. With a bit of interrogation, I'm sure that you'll be able to hear who they sold the company out to. They're already in a whole lot of trouble, so maybe the prospect of getting out early by telling the truth will excite them. That's your best chance of finding out the truth."

"Another thing to note is that they didn't want anybody from Interpol working on this case because the police seemed to think the culprit was somebody within the company," Deirdre remarked. "With the information regarding who they sold the company's secrets to, we can narrow down who the culprit is outside of the building. It's going to be difficult to track them down assuming the culprit was not part of the company nor there the day of the crime."

"In other words, our case is all based around hypotheticals and people outside the building," I sighed with a shake of my head. "We didn't hear anything about people there the time of the crime that shouldn't have been. In other words, there weren't any visitors that could have killed the victim. That makes this a lot harder than it would be if we had names like that, but I guess we're just going to have to go with it..."

"Your main point tomorrow will be to show that M didn't turn off the power from his place in the power room. From there, the rest of the case should easily fall apart," Mr. Morix told us. "If you're lucky, you can see about a potential record being kept for who enters the power room. You didn't have much time to investigate, so you wouldn't have been able to learn about that unless somebody directly told you."

"We didn't even get the chance to check out the power room," Lily told him. "It wouldn't surprise me if there was a record given how secretive Interpol has always been. That's the only way they can keep their secrets hidden from the general public, after all. If we can get our hands on a copy of the record, maybe we can see if M was in the power room at the time of the murder, that would make it all fall apart. If he was already in the power room before the victim died and didn't leave..."

"It would mean that he couldn't have hit her with the vase!" I cried out. "That's brilliant!"

"Thank you so much for your help, Mr. Morix," Deirdre smiled with a bow of her head. "

"No problem," Mr. Morix told her. "Now, I'm going to head up to my office to fill out a few more papers before retiring for the night. Try to finish up your own paperwork before we close, okay? I don't want to have even more to finish up on."

I saluted him sternly. "On it, sir!" I exclaimed, dashing over to the couch nearby where my papers were sitting. They hadn't been moved since we left the agency that morning, so I still had just as much work to do as I had before we left... Great.

"I guess I should leave you to it," Deirdre commented. "I'm going to start taking a few extra notes based on what Mr. Morix just suggested to us. I'll see you all tomorrow at the courtroom, just in case we don't meet up again before the agency closes tonight."

"See you then!" Lily chirped. She waved as Deirdre left the room, leaving just the two of us in the room. She sat down next to me and picked up her own stack of papers. "Time to start on the bane of my existence... I'd almost rather solve a nearly impossible case than fill these out."

I laughed. "I can't help but agree."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update that's before nine??? What is this witchcraft????
> 
> -Digital


	45. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 5

**September 1**

**Defendant Lobby No. 6**

**9:25 AM**

**Yuri** **Rinko**

After staying behind a lot longer than I would have wanted to, I finally managed to get home the night before and catch some sleep. I really shouldn't have underestimated that paper work. It was so long, I swear, the words started blurring together since I was sitting in front of that stack for what felt like countless hours. In truth, it had only been about two hours, but the point still stands that it was super boring.

I flopped down onto the couch in the defendant lobby as Lily and Deirdre came into the room. They seemed to be a lot more alert than I was, which I suppose I could count as a blessing. If they were tired, we were bound to end up in all sorts of trouble when the trial actually started. The difficulty this case was bound to bring us was not going to help our tired minds at all, but I guessed it was better me than them.

"Are you guys ready for this?" Lily asked, a determined grin on her face. She seemed a bit tired too, but I didn't want to press it for now. I could always tell her to catch a cat nap when we weren't dealing with a painfully difficult murder case.

"I suppose I can be," I shrugged. "What about you, Deirdre? You look like you've been thinking a lot these past few hours. You did sleep a little bit, right?"

"Of course, I did," Deirdre assured me, sitting down at my side. "I'm a bit nervous, if we're being perfectly honest, but I don't want to let it show for the sake of M. I can imagine that he's already panicking enough as it is. Throwing in a nervous attorney probably won't help the situation one bit."

"We have faith that things are going to be okay too, so that means that we're going to be fine!" Lily chirped, clapping her hands together. "You two shouldn't be all mopey like this. Like you've already mentioned, M is counting on this. Plus, we can use this as a chance to lock up a killer once and for all. I'd call that a win at the end of the day. We're taking one more criminal off the streets, which is always a positive. It's all about perspective."

"I hope that it's as okay as you're insisting it will be," I sighed with a shake of my head. I had always been the optimistic one at the agency before Deirdre and Lily showed up since Mr. Morix and Venus were realists most of the time and Chrysalis was one of the biggest pessimists I had ever met. She could be upbeat from time to time, but if we're talking about the majority here...

Lily was really taking my spot in this regard. I would just have to be even more happy to take it back! It was part of my duty as the bright and smiley youngest member of Team Morix!

"I'm glad to see you all got here early."

Speaking of Team Morix, Mr. Morix was now walking up to us, his hands shoved coolly in his pockets. That was just like him. He had always been the epitome of cool-headedness, even when things got rough and seemed impossible.

"Hey, Mr. Morix!" I exclaimed, already embracing the idea of overtaking Lily as the most cheerful of the agency's members. "How are you doing this fine morning?"

He let out a yawn and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. "I'm tired, that's for sure. I couldn't sleep very well last night since I was worried about Chrysalis. She's always been the type to panic when in a bad situation like being stuck overnight at an airport," he told us. "I know that she'll be okay, but I couldn't help but worry. I guess it's just the duty of a big brother."

"You two sure are close," Lily commented. "I mean, I like to think that I'm pretty close with my older brother, but you two even put our relationship to shame, which is no easy feat."

"It's always been like that. I can't really tell you why, but we've always been close this way," Mr. Morix told her with a small shrug.

"I think it's sweet. Somebody as cool and relaxed as you can still become a bit of a mess where she's concerned," I giggled. "Of course, I suppose that's natural given the fact that you two are basically glued at the hip. I'm surprised you even let Chrysalis go on a school trip without you because of how protective you can get, Mr. Morix. I mean, it's not like that's a bad thing, but it's still unexpected."

His face flushed red. "I don't think I'm that protective... I just want her to be safe. That's what any brother would want for his little sister, right?" Mr. Morix asked, turning away from us to hide the red tinge rising in his cheeks.

"Perhaps we should stop trying to embarrass Mr. Morix and focus on the case at hand," suggested Deirdre. "We won't get anything done by just standing around here and talking about other things."

"I agree," Mr. Morix nodded. "Are there any other things you want to know about the case?"

"Do you know who the prosecution is set to be?" Lily asked. "I mean, we heard about Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, but I don't know who his assistant is going to be, assuming he even has one for this trial..."

"He's going to be up at the bench alongside his adoptive daughter, Niamh Wood. She's a sweet girl, but a bit new at prosecuting. I'm sure that you remember her from the carnival case not long ago, Deirdre," Mr. Morix answered.

"Niamh is a good kid. She's shy, but she has good intentions. I'm just glad she isn't prosecuting you now," I smiled.

"It's not like she was really going to have me locked up anyways," Mr. Morix shrugged. "I mean, if she was working with Prosecutor Kalles, the chances of that happening were slim at best. I've been friends with her for years now, so I doubt she would randomly decide to convict me of a crime she knew I wouldn't commit."

"I hope this trial isn't as difficult as it's sounding like it will be," Deirdre murmured. "Everything that we've found seems to be stacked highly against our case. In order to make the case crumble, we're going to have to be careful to eliminate all potential threats that could have M on a one-way street to jail."

"Speaking of M, I wonder where he is," I frowned. "I find it weird that the defendant would come so close to being late to his own trial. Maybe there was an issue with traffic or something. I can't exactly say I know what's going on, but I suppose I can still guess."

"We can talk about the case until he gets here," Lily pointed out. "We should start out by showing that he couldn't have done it through use of the power room. If we show that it wasn't M that turned off the power the day of the murder, the accusations against him committing the crime will fall apart."

"In that respect, it's similar to Yuri's trial from earlier this year. If we show that the defendant couldn't have turned off the power, that means that they couldn't have killed the victim. I'm glad we at least have experience with that part," Deirdre said. "However, this time we're dealing with digital evidence and the testimony of a witness we haven't even met yet, which could very easily complicate things severely... The lack of physical proof has the possibility to bite us later."

"We can surely press on regardless of that though. We can hope that the prosecution decides to call in the agent who figured out that the hacking had taken place," Lily commented.

"I called Ghastly last night to ask if he knew who he was going to call for witnesses today. He said that he wasn't planning on asking that agent to come in, but after I asked him to have him come and speak, he threw it together at the last minute. I can hope that will help your case at least a little bit," Mr. Morix told us. "It's not much since we still don't know what he's going to say, but it should at least be a small blessing."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Morix," I smiled. "We're going to take full advantage of that. I know that M won't end up in prison today. At the very least, we can try and push off the verdict to tomorrow. We can ask that agent to see who hacked the system. If he's really as tech savvy as we've heard, he can surely pull something like that off. Well, I hope he can... Hope doesn't really get you far in court, but it's something, right?"

"Here comes M now," Lily cut in, pointing to the door. M was being escorted in by Detective Wattson and Detective Erikson. "I guess we can talk to him a little bit before the trial kicks off, though we really don't have much time... I'm sure it's fine though. No worries, right?"

M approached us, a frown knit tightly into his features. "Are you ready for today?" he questioned.  

"Of course," nodded Deirdre. "You don't need to worry. We have everything under control."

M nodded, but I got the feeling he was still doubting us a little bit. I gently punched him in the arm and smiled to try and cheer him up. "You're going to be back home in no time! No need to sweat it!"

"Alright," he said simply. He didn't move to rub his arm after I punched it, so I assumed I hadn't been too hard on him. Besides, he was a mountain of a man that stood over a foot above me. I don't think I'd be able to hurt someone like that no matter how hard I tried given how petite I have always been (unfortunately).

"Where's N?" asked Deirdre. "I got the impression he stayed by your side all the time. It seems strange to see you without him..."

"He's going to be here soon. He said he would come to the trial, and I doubt he would really ditch me. He wouldn't ever, actually," M replied. "He's probably being kept by... Never mind. It isn't important."

I chose not to press it, figuring that it wasn't something important. I would have pursued it if I had thought it vital to the case, but I was probably fine. It was no big deal, so why bother?

"O should be testifying today, yes?" Deirdre questioned to change the topic. "I can't imagine the prosecution would miss out on calling her to the stand."

"I'd assume so, yes," M replied. "She and N are vital to figuring out the truth behind this case."

"Do you know if N will be taking the stand?" I asked of him.

"Maybe, maybe not. The prosecution didn't exactly give much of a straight answer. He seemed like he hadn't even decided if he was going to call N or not, if you can believe that, so I figured I wouldn't be able to find out ahead of time. If I had known, I would have told you yesterday," M answered with a frown. "I don't think he'd want to testify against me though. He's been loyal to me for quite some time now, so he wouldn't randomly turn against me the second charges arise."

"We can count that among our blessings then," Lily sighed in relief. "I don't want to deal with any extra testimony that could be stacked against you. It will just make things harder, which is the last thing we need in a murder trial."

"Is the prosecution still maintaining its motive of you being Oracle or you being involved in the project somehow?" Mr. Morix asked. "Deirdre, Lily, and Yuri told me about it last night."

"Yeah, that's right," M nodded. "I don't have much of anything to refute it. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked me if I had a solid alibi for the previous cases in which Oracle has appeared, but since I was unable to provide something, he can say that I was probably at the scene of the trials watching to ensure my coworker was not in danger... Of course, that's complete bull. I wouldn't work with somebody like that, regardless of how just they may or may not be."

"I see... It's not like you could really be Oracle anyways," I shrugged. "From what we've seen, Oracle is a young woman who's at least a foot shorter than you. It would be hard to call you, a very tall man, the same person as Estella Burns, and that's probably putting it lightly..."

"We can use that to our advantage then," nodded Lily. "Mr. Morix, how do you think Chief Prosecutor Bespoke will respond to that?"

"I can't say for sure. He's quite knowledgeable when it comes to Oracle. Much like me, he's been digging to figure out more ever since they first arose two years ago. He hasn't come across anything fully conclusive, but what he has could still be used against you. If M doesn't have an alibi for the previous appearances of Oracle, anyone could say that he was in the gallery watching the cases. Oracle probably doesn't move alone and likely always has someone there to help them. M could be accused of being one of those coworkers, which would easily land him in trouble."

"Luckily, I've already figured out a way to avoid that. The motive can easily be refuted with a piece of testimony we've heard from multiple witnesses," Deirdre smirked. "In other news, we have this motive situation all under control."

I opened my mouth to ask her what it was she had up her sleeve, but Deirdre didn't get the chance to answer. The loud cry of a bailiff signaled to us that it was time to head into the courtroom. I looked around at the others in the little circle we had been standing in. Deirdre, Lily, and I shared a nod. M closed his eyes and headed into the courtroom.

Mr. Morix pointed to the door leading up to the gallery. "I'm going to head on up there. Try and stay out of trouble, will you?" he asked with a small and relaxed smile. "I don't want to have to dig you out of trouble here, regardless of how difficult this case will be to solve."

"We'll be fine," I assured him with a flick of my hand. "You don't need to worry a bit!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Mr. Morix smiled before leaving the defendant lobby.

It was just Lily, Deirdre, and me in the room now. Lily picked up on this and frowned. "We need to ask him sometime soon about Oracle. He so obviously knows something, but we haven't had the chance to confront him. It might be best to do it while Chrysalis is gone. That way, we don't have to worry about any covering she may do," she remarked.

"Do you think she would try to cover up the truth if he is involved?" asked Deirdre.

"I think she would say anything necessary to get us off her brother's back. The two of them are as close as it gets, so if she thinks we have him cornered, she'll probably jump in to defend him. If she doesn't know, she'll talk to him about it in private. That's just the sort of person she is," I told them. "I agree that It's definitely best to take care of this while she's still out of town."

"In that case, we can ask after our investigative phase today. I'm sure we'll have the time to sit down and talk to him for a moment or two. He can't hide the truth from us any longer. We've spent the past few weeks waiting for the right chance, and now that it's here, we can't let it slip away," Deirdre declared. Lily and I nodded our agreement. "That being said, we need to power through the trial before we can ask him about who Oracle is. You can't eat your food without cooking it and all that."

"Then let's do our best to stall the investigation for now. We don't have any suspects for who the real killer could be, which means we're going to need another day of investigation. When we get that extra time, we go and corner Mr. Morix and tell him we know the truth. It's that simple," I said. "Come on. Time's a-wasting."

We all walked into the courtroom together to take our places behind the defense bench. All my exhaustion had faded away by now. It had been replaced with hope and faith in our skills for this trial. I was excited for the next investigative phase since we'd undoubtedly be able to find the culprit behind all of this.

At the same time, I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous with everything regarding Mr. Morix going on. We had been friends for so long, so I didn't want to believe he could be involved in a spy project like what the Oracle had concocted. He was in danger if that was the case. I didn't want to believe he was lying to us, but at the same time, I knew I had to find out the truth. If he was part of Oracle's team... I needed to know it. I was going to give him hell for it, but I needed to hear the truth from him. I just hoped it wouldn't distract me too much during the trial...

**September 1**

**Courtroom No. 6**

**10:00 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

The courtroom wasn't as alive with buzz as I would have expected. I looked up at the gallery and frowned, realizing how empty it was. I turned to Lily upon noticing this. "What's going on with the onlookers? I would have expected more people to be here with a case taking place at Interpol," I frowned.

"Well, this case was in a high-security government building. I'd assume the bailiffs would be stingy with allowing people inside in case any top-secret information ends up coming out," Lily replied. "I can't really think of another logical explanation."

Yuri pointed up at the judge. "That's Judge Diaphan. I'm sure you remember hearing about her from the case Mr. Morix told us about a few months ago. You know, the one where Oracle was exposed and Jackson Blocker was murdered," she hissed at us. "I've seen her a few times on cases back from when I was a bit younger and first starting to work at the agency, but I haven't seen her since you two have come into the agency. It isn't your fault or anything. I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles sometimes." She shrugged.

"Court is now in session for the trial of M," Judge Diaphan announced. When I looked at her, I realized just how peculiar the mask she wore was. Mr. Morix had mentioned it briefly, but I hadn't expected it to look so strange when I saw it in person. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"

"The defense is ready," I declared after sharing a telling nod with Lily and Yuri.

"The prosecution is also ready," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke announced from his place on the other side of the courtroom. Prosecutor Wood was at his side, though she looked rather nervous. She was still a bit more relaxed than she had been when Yuri and I had seen her during the case at the carnival, so maybe she was just generally anxious.

"In that case, please begin your opening statement, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke," Judge Diaphan instructed. She was toying with her gavel as she spoke. I couldn't tell if she was looking directly at any of us since her eyes were hidden behind her shining mask.

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded, clearly not at all bothered by the mask. From what I had heard from Yuri, he had been the prosecutor on quite a few cases she had taken on while still starting off at the agency, so he was probably used to this by now. "The crime took place at the Interpol headquarters in the area. The victim was one Y, but since Interpol agents are meant to keep their names hidden, we can't disclose her real name in this trial. She was found dead in her office yesterday, having been hit on the head with a vase, causing her to die instantly. Not many clues were found at the scene of the crime," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke began. He was silent for a few moments after this before nudging Prosecutor Wood.

The young girl seemed to be startled out of her nervous daze. He whispered something to her that I couldn't quite hear (which was an impressive feat on his part given how powerful my ears are), prompting her to begin speaking. "A stack of files sitting on her desk went missing after the crime. We believe the culprit killed her to steal those files. The victim was the main investigator on the Oracle case to try and determine the true identity of the Oracle of the Law, so she obviously had all the knowledge needed to track the spy," Prosecutor Wood continued.

"The victim approached the defendant a few weeks ago to tell him that she had figured out who Oracle really was. When she offered to tell him, he declined the offer, but she still kept the files with all her evidence in her office. At the time, Oracle was actually a huge help to the agents of Interpol. A few agents from the technological branch were revealed to be selling secrets of the company to the highest paying customer. Oracle exposed to M through a letter that this dark trade was happening. They continued to send letters to M to help him reveal who had turned against the company until they had all been rooted out," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke went on.

"M didn't want to learn who Oracle was until he was in a place where letting them go would be beneficial. He didn't have Y tell him a thing about Oracle for these weeks, instead keeping himself in the dark. However, there is a theory that he really didn't want to know because he's an associate of Oracle, which is where our motive comes from. We think that he was working alongside Oracle before this incident took place, but to keep his coworker safe, he kept it on the down low," Prosecutor Wood said. I could hear her voice clearly shaking, but I didn't say a thing on the matter, instead silently listening to the opening statement.

"This is where the murder comes into play. We believe that M snuck into Y's office to take her files relating to Oracle before killing her to keep her quiet. Afterwards, he turned off the power of the building from the power room at the center of the floor with the victim's office," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke told us. "He was even found inside of the power room after the power eventually came back on, which only points to show that he's incredibly suspicious. If he was in the power room, he could have easily turned off the power, not having an issue with it thanks to his high authority in the company."

"Plus, if you think about it, he could have been put at risk with the agents leaking information. Think about it. If he was working with Oracle and that information got out, he would be in a lot of trouble. He used Oracle's help to root out the spies before killing the threat to his safety, otherwise known as the victim," Prosecutor Wood interjected.

"Thank you, prosecution," nodded Judge Diaphan solemnly. "You're in for a rough case here, defense. With all this evidence stacked against you, can you really prove that M didn't commit this crime?"

"We certainly can," I assured her with a tight frown on my face. "You don't need to doubt our abilities. We have it all under control."

"In that case, it's time to call the first witness, prosecution," Judge Diaphan declared. "You'll be calling one of the lead detectives to the stand, yes?"

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded. "We will, as a matter of fact. Detective Erikson, head on up there," he said. "Detective Wattson already headed back to the scene of the crime to do a bit of extra digging for evidence not yet found. She will not be able to join us today because of that."

Detective Erikson appeared at the witness stand, hands shoved in his pockets. He adjusted his hat briefly before pushing his hands back into his pockets.

"Please state your name and occupation, witness," Judge Diaphan told him.

"I'm Toby Erikson, a homicide detective down at the local precinct. I'm also the leading detective on this case," he responded. "Is there anything in particular you want me to talk about, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke?"

The prosecutor nodded. "Please tell us about the information selling issue Interpol has had in the last few weeks, detective," he said. "Any and all details you have will be helpful, whether it be agent names, wording from Oracle's letters, or the response of M and his partner, N."

Detective Erikson nodded. "I can get right to it then," he replied.

**~** **Witness** **Testimony ~**

**~ Selling of Information ~**

_-"M and his coworker, N, found out about the selling of information a few weeks ago."_

_-"Oracle_ _sent them a letter saying a few agents from the technology branch had been selling trade secrets for a high price."_

_-"We_ _don't know for sure how they managed to get the letter into M's office, where it was found."_  

_-"M and N began snooping, and with a few other letters from Oracle, they found all the agents they knew were selling information."_

_-"We_ _can't say for sure what information was leaked through this process since the traitors, who have since been arrested, refuse to tell what they leaked or who they told."_

_-"The_ _police force is trying to determine who received this critical information now."_

_-"We_ _assume a few secrets involving the technology branch were revealed, but any higher-leveled information is up in the air at the moment."_

"So, we don't know a thing about what was officially sold," frowned Yuri. "All we can do is make predictions here, is that it?"

"It's not like it was any different yesterday, but it's still a bit of a disappointment," Lily remarked with a shake of her head. "I had been hoping for a little bit more..."

"It's easy to assume that if somebody got their hands on the information regarding Oracle's identity being known, it would have been sold out," I told them. "Detective Erikson, who was told that Y knew of Oracle's real name? Was it just M and N?"

"To our knowledge, it was just the two of them," he replied. "However, there is the distinct possibility the leader of the technology branch knows the truth. We've heard that he has a way of hearing things, regardless of if he's involved or not, thanks to his technological prowess."

"That agent, Q, will be coming to the witness stand a bit later in the trial, so if you want to ask him questions, you'll have your chance," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke assured us. "Until then, should we go on and have Detective Erikson repeat his testimony for the cross-examination?"

I nodded. "That sounds fine with me," I answered.

**~** **Cross-Examination** **~**

**~ Selling of Information ~**

_-"M and his coworker, N, found out about the selling of information a few weeks ago."_

_-"Oracle_ _sent them a letter saying a few agents from the technology branch had been selling trade secrets for a high price."_

_-"We_ _don't know for sure how they managed to get the letter into M's office, where it was found."_  

_-"M and N began snooping, and with a few other letters from Oracle, they found all the agents they knew were selling information."_

_-"We_ _can't say for sure what information was leaked through this process since the traitors, who have since been arrested, refuse to tell what they leaked or who they told."_

_-"The_ _police force is trying to determine who received this critical information now."_

_-"We_ _assume a few secrets involving the technology branch were revealed, but any higher-leveled information is up in the air at the moment."_

"Hold it!"

"What information does the technology branch have access to?" I asked.

"They know what agents are on what cases and where agents are when doing field work. They also work on developing new technology for the company to use, but we don't have any specific examples at the moment. Right now, it's all basic outlines and such," Detective Erikson replied.

"Do you think there are any potent hackers in the company?" I questioned next, an idea already forming in my head of what I would do if he gave the answer I was hoping for.

He paused for a moment. "The possibility is there, I suppose. I mean, these agents are the best at what they do from all over the country, so it wouldn't really surprise me if anyone had the ability to hack into other technology for cases," he answered.

"I can answer that question for you," M piped up, completely ignoring the protocol involving what should have been a prolonged silence due to his place as the defendant. "Assuming that would be alright with you, Your Honor."

Judge Diaphan nodded solemnly. "Go ahead," she said.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I typed a chapter a week in advance a minute ago, and it's pretty angsty.
> 
> For now, here you are.
> 
> -Digital


	46. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 6

**September 1**

**Courtroom No. 6**

**10:45 AM**

**Yuri Rinko**

"We do have hackers at Interpol, so it is possible for them to get into other technology. One of the most talented hackers in the whole country is part of our company. His name is Q. He's the leader of the technology branch of Interpol. If anybody was able to crack the code on any firewall, it would be him. He's something of a professional in the field," M told the court. "His assistants are good at what they do as well, but none of them can quite compare to his skill and finesse."

"Weren't a few of Q's agents revealed to be traitors?" Lily asked, placing one finger on her chin. "I thought I heard of that at the very least..."

"Yeah, you heard right," M frowned. "There were roughly a dozen agents under him that were selling out the company. We've caught all of those who we're aware were selling secrets, but there could be others. Q had all the important information behind a very powerful lock made of code only he knows how to crack. Any who try and get inside instantly have their information revealed to him so he can deal with them personally. That is not a fate you want to meet, let me tell you."

"The higher-up information was kept to Q and Q alone," Deirdre murmured. "Any lower-level information could have easily been passed along to his underlings, and if they were selling out the company, anybody could have gotten into the computer system if they bought the right information. In other words, there's a chance somebody from outside the building got into the power to cause the outage."

"That could easily show that M didn't commit the crime," I smirked. "Go on, tell them. The sooner you can expose the truth, the easier our lives will be. I have faith in you."

Deirdre nodded. "Alright. If the correct information was sold out, then anybody from outside the building could have gotten into the power system and caused an outage the day of the crime. M being found in the room doesn't mean much of anything, especially when you consider that anybody who bought the right details could have caused the outage," she declared.

"Since the prosecution seems intent on linking the culprit behind the power outage with Y's killer, if M didn't cause the outage, it can be deduced that he also didn't kill the victim. It's as simple as that," Lily smiled. "What do you think of that?"

"I think I'd like to call my next witness," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said. "I asked Q to wait in case we decided to have him testify. If we asked for details regarding the power outage, he would surely be happy to explain all that took place the day of the crime. He would know better than anyone how it took place being the expert of technology of Interpol."

"In that case, go on and call your witness, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke," instructed Judge Diaphan. "He is ready to take the stand, yes?"

"He is, as a matter of fact," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded. "Detective Erikson, you are finished here. Feel free to take your seat in the gallery in case we have need of you again. Q, it's your time to shine."

A young man took the stand not long after. He was thin and lanky, looking rather awkward. He had dark curly hair that stayed close to his face. His brown eyes were framed by glasses, which he seemed to enjoy pushing up. He was wearing a blue tie. He had a white shirt with dark trousers and a brown jacket. His shoes were also black and looked rather fancy. He continued to fidget around with his glasses and jacket as we continued to speak. I had to admit, I didn't expect someone so young to be the leader of the technology branch. He looked like he was barely older than I was, if he even was at all. I couldn't tell, and at the same time, I got the feeling I wouldn't ever find out since Interpol was so strict on security.

"Please state your name and occupation for the court," Judge Diaphan told us, playing with her gavel mindlessly.

"I'm Q. I'm the leader of the technology branch at Interpol," Q explained, fidgeting nervously. "I'm sure you all know the drill now. I can't tell you my name for security reasons... It's been ages since my last time in court... It feels strange to be back under these circumstances."

"He's so young!" I couldn't help but hiss at Lily. She responded with a mystified expression and a slow nod. "I didn't think somebody so young could possibly be part of Interpol, much less the leader of a bunch of technological underlings!"

"Will you please tell the court about the power outage?" Deirdre asked.

Q nodded, pushing his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose. "Of course, yeah," he said nervously. I could feel the sheer anxiety radiating off him from feet away. And here I thought Chrysalis could get anxious and awkward...

**~ Witness Testimony ~**

**~ The Power Outage's Cause ~**

_-"I'm sure the power outage was caused by a hacker from outside the building."_

_-"Getting into the system from the inside doesn't leave behind as many traces of invasion."_

_-"To put it simply, there are differences between a natural entrance and a hacking."_

_-"This was most certainly a hacking."_

_-"All agents who have either been working at Interpol for three years or are otherwise important officers of a branch can access the information to get inside."_

_-"I think a few agents with this jurisdiction were arrested on the grounds of treason."_

_-"In other words, they sold the information needed to hack the system, which caused this mess."_

_-"I don't know how anybody from the outside could have killed Y though, unless..."_

"You sure do know a lot about this hacking business," I remarked under my breath. I wasn't exactly surprised since I knew he was an influential agent in Interpol, but at the same time, he was so young! Can you blame me for being shocked?

"It's my job. I was hired solely for my ability to gather information involving hacking," Q told me, pushing up his glasses for what felt like the millionth time already.

"Even if we didn't get the chance to talk to him yesterday, I can tell how important he's going to be to this case," murmured Deirdre. "There was one thing that bothered me about his testimony though."

"You must be thinking about the awkward way he ended his testimony. It felt like he was supposed to go on a bit longer, but in the end, he didn't finish. He seemed to have an idea of something to say next, but he still chose to hold back. It's certainly suspicious," Lily agreed with a nod. "You should press him on that when the cross-examination begins."

"Maybe you should get to asking the witness about his testimony instead of whispering more than schoolchildren," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke cut in, crossing his arms. I could see Prosecutor Wood shifting through the papers in front of them, a frown on her face. He didn't seem to notice.

"Of course. We'll get right to it," Deirdre nodded.

**~ Cross-Examination ~**

**~ The Power Outage's Cause ~**

_-"I'm sure the power outage was caused by a hacker from outside the building."_

_-"Getting into the system from the inside doesn't leave behind as many traces of invasion."_

_-"To put it simply, there are differences between a natural entrance and a hacking."_

_-"This was most certainly a hacking."_

_-"All agents who have either been working at Interpol for three years or are otherwise important officers of a branch can access the information to get inside."_

_-"I think a few agents with this jurisdiction were arrested on the grounds of treason."_

_-"In other words, they sold the information needed to hack the system, which caused this mess."_

_-"I don't know how anybody from the outside could have killed Y though, unless..."_

"Hold it!"

"You seemed hesitant to finish your sentence there, witness," Deirdre commented, a frown on her face. "If you don't mind my asking, what is it that you were considering saying? Any ideas you have regarding the case are very much appreciated."

"I was just thinking there must be multiple people behind this plot," Q said, still fidgeting with his glasses. "The hacking signature clearly came from someone outside the building, but at the same time, it would have been nearly impossible for someone to get in and out without help. There's the chance an Interpol agent was working alongside an outside accomplice to pull of this crime. I can't say for sure since there isn't any proof, but it might be something worth looking into. If there were multiple people working behind this murder, that could point the defendant in a suspicious light. If anyone has authority here, it would be him."

I frowned. That certainly wasn't going to help our case. I had been hoping calling in Q would help us out by revealing M couldn't have possibly hacked into the security system, but it had only done the opposite. In other words, this was going horribly. I was not a fan of this case the longer it crawled on.

"Since the hacking was from the outside, he couldn't have turned off the power from his place inside the power room. I suppose that just happened by circumstance," Lily commented. "I can't think of another explanation. I bet the culprit wasn't even trying to frame him. It could have just turned out that way purely by accident. I mean, I doubt it would have been widely broadcast he was heading to the power room."

"That doesn't change the fact that he has ultimate authority of Interpol. He's the most important person in the whole building, so if anybody would have authority to pull the strings behind this, it would be him. I'm not saying it's pretty, but it's our job to explore every possibility. Such is the work of people like us, huh?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked, a small smirk playing at his lips. "It's going to take a bit more snooping to say conclusively if he did this, but we can't discount the chance."

"I was thinking Q would help our case by saying the hacker got in from outside. After all, M was clearly in the building at the time of the crime, so he couldn't have gotten into the security system, but in the end, it's just dug our graves even deeper," Lily muttered. "I have to say, the point about there being an accomplice would make sense. If multiple people were behind this murder, one person could have hacked in from the outside to take suspicion away from the culprit. The actual culprit could then sneak into Y's office, take the files on her desk, and get rid of her. In other words, just one person being behind this is impossible."

"I do wonder one thing though... What if the culprit wasn't part of Interpol?" I asked. "Think about it for a minute before calling me nuts. I don't really know how to articulate this, but... How could the culprit have escaped without running into N or O? They came out of their offices after hearing a slamming sound. That was when the power went out. Even if the power was gone, I still get the feeling they'd be able to sense somebody going past them in a cramped hallway, and yet, they didn't mention anything of the sort. Where did the killer go after killing the victim? The hallway is clearly out of the question, but we need to think about where else they could have gone."

"It wouldn't have been possible to hide in the room until the power came back on. That would be like asking to be arrested. The culprit would have been called suspicious immediately for being found in the room with the victim. Plus, I don't think anybody was found in the same room as the body, so that's certainly out of the question," Deirdre murmured. "I hadn't thought about it before, but you do bring up a good point. Until we can figure out where the culprit escaped to, we can't really call M the killer."

"Yeah. He was found in the power room, so he couldn't have killed Y," Lily nodded. "Once again, we bring up the issue of the hallway. The culprit couldn't have crept by N and O without being spotted. Even if one of them was an accomplice to the killer, the other likely would have noticed it. The hallways of Interpol are narrow, so nobody could have gotten past, and that includes M."

"You're right in saying we haven't determined how the culprit escaped at the time of the crime," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke hesitantly admitted. "It's an avenue of exploration we haven't had time to pursue. The killer most certainly wouldn't have been able to take the hallway out or hide in the victim's room. Nobody suspicious from outside was found on the property when the police arrived. N and M were stationed outside the room once the power came back on, and I even heard they looked inside it to ensure nobody was hiding inside. It's a conundrum for sure, but there is one possibility."

"What would that be?" Judge Diaphan asked with a deep frown.

"The time of the murder was not when we initially anticipated it to be," suggested Chief Prosecutor Bespoke.

The limited members of the gallery began to chatter above us. Judge Diaphan picked up her gavel and slammed it down with a frown. "What are you implying? I thought we already figured out what time the crime took place. It was stated firmly on the autopsy report."

"When the power goes out, what are a few things you lose?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked.

"Light, electricity, heat... Oh," Lily murmured with a sigh. "I think I know what you're getting at now."

"When the power goes out, the heat leaves the room as well. In other words, the temperature dropped inside the building. It's colder outside, so the temperature would go down instead of up. Any sudden changes in temperature, in case you weren't aware, can mess with the autopsy report and cause the time of death to be misinterpreted," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke explained. "It's something we can't exactly discount with the situation at hand."

"He sure did think this through. If the killer didn't have an escape route, there must have been an explanation for it," I muttered. I wasn't really surprised since I knew how he worked, but it was still a bit annoying. "If he couldn't figure out a way for the killer to get away, he would just have to look at this from a different perspective. Curse that genius."

"When do you propose the crime took place then?" Deirdre asked, her hands clenched into tight fists. Her knuckles were growing white after a few seconds.

"An hour or so before wouldn't be out of the question. The victim was killed instantly, so she wouldn't have been able to fight back against her assailant. In other words, it would have been a nearly silent crime," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke told us.

"What about the slamming noise N and O heard? That has to be tied into the murder somehow, but if the murder took place an hour earlier, that can't be the case," Lily frowned. "What do you think of that?"

"Have you considered that the sound was unrelated to the case?" Prosecutor Wood asked, still flicking through the papers before her. I was starting to get the feeling she wasn't doing it with purpose anymore, instead just finding reasons to avoid eye contact. It didn't surprise me. She had always been the shy type of person.

"You could have a point, but I still must ask you what that sound could have been," Deirdre said. "It's got to be important somehow. Even if the crime was an hour earlier than anticipated, the sound... We originally thought it was something to do with the murder, but if that isn't the case, we need to figure out the source, whatever it may be. Do you have any theories? I believe we need to tackle this before moving onto another subject."

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by Q, who was finally talking again. "You said the crime could have been a silent murder, yes?" he asked, turning to face the prosecutor.

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded. "I did. Is there something wrong with that?" he asked.

Q nodded. "As a matter of fact, there is. The crime could not have been silent given the circumstances. The victim's skull shattered a vase on contact. That would have made a loud noise, and that's not even mentioning the glass falling to the floor. In other words, this crime could not have been silent. While I do admit the crime could have taken place at some other time because of the discrepancy in temperatures, a sound similar to the one heard by N and O would have been caused by the victim's death," he explained.

I thanked the universe for treating us kindly and having Q side with us on here. He did have a point, I had to admit. I was glad he had brought it up though. I hadn't thought about it like that.

"O stated yesterday the sound was similar to a slamming of a door," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke told the court. "Prosecutor Wood can attest to that. The sound caused by a vase hitting someone's head would be very different, I wish to point out. While I do agree now the crime could not have been completely silent, I still think the slamming sound they heard was not the victim dying."

"Somebody must have heard that sound though," Deirdre murmured. "Even if it wasn't one of them, I'm sure someone in the building heard the victim die to the vase. I can't imagine such a loud sound would be missed. It simply doesn't seem logical."

"I got a bit of testimony out of N and O yesterday alongside my partner here. If it's alright with her, she can tell you what it is they told us," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said. He nudged Prosecutor Wood gently. She looked up and glanced around like a deer caught in the headlights before focusing back on her paperwork.

After finding what she was looking for, Prosecutor Wood gulped and began to speak. "N said he hadn't gone onto the floor until about two minutes before hearing the sound. Until then, he had been with Q talking about the invasion of privacy that came with the agents selling out the company," she explained. "You can confirm this, right, Q?"

Q nodded. "I can. He was with me until about five minutes before the power went out. After that, he was stuck on the fourth floor with O until the power restored itself and the police arrived," he declared.

"O got onto the floor about ten minutes before the power went out and hung out in her office until she heard the slamming noise. She had been with another agent, D, talking about the Oracle case beforehand," Prosecutor Wood continued. "D was unable to appear in court today due to working on other cases, but she confirmed she spoke with O before the power outage. We have an official statement from her here with us."

"You mean to say the crime took place before either one of them arrived on the floor," Deirdre frowned. "Nobody else was around the floor at the time to hear the victim's death, and even if M was there, he wouldn't have been able to hear from the power room."

"Exactly. Your inconsistency involving the loud noise was nothing more than an illusion, I'm afraid," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke shrugged.

"However, I do wonder what that sound was. If only N and O were on the floor at the time, who or what could have caused the slamming sound? I mean, it's not like one of them could have caused it. For example, if N had slammed his door, he wouldn't have left his office to investigate the sound. It wouldn't make sense logically," Lily pointed out. "The same applies to if the opposite took place."

"You think there was a third party there at the time to cause the slamming sound, don't you?" Judge Diaphan asked. "I can certainly understand where you're coming from there. The possibility of a third party is most certainly present, so we can't discount it. To do so would put the truth behind this case in jeopardy, which we cannot allow... You think that person was the real culprit behind this murder, yes?"

"Exactly," Lily nodded. "You seem to know when N and O got onto the fourth floor the day of the murder, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. If you don't mind my asking, did you happen to gather that information on the defendant as well? If his arrival on the fourth floor was inconsistent with when you say the murder took place, you can't claim he killed the victim. For the sake of your case, I highly advise you try to produce the answer to this inquiry. It would be wise, wouldn't you agree?"

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke turned to Prosecutor Wood, who was still shuffling through the papers. Okay, now I was positive it was simply a nervous habit for her. There was no way anybody could spend so much time looking through random pieces of paper, even if each one had a piece of evidence.

After receiving a nudge from her coworker, Prosecutor Wood jumped. She glanced around like an alarmed cat before picking up a piece of paper and starting to read it. "M was found on the fourth floor about twenty minutes before the power outage took place. He was looking for N, apparently. However, when he didn't find him, he went back downstairs to continue searching," she explained softly.

Deirdre seemed to be holding back a smirk. "It sounds like he wasn't on the fourth floor an hour before the presumed time. The autopsy report suggested the victim died at about the time of the power outage, but if what you say is to be believed, he was only there twenty minutes before the power outage," she declared. "What do you have to say to that?"

"It really isn't important how long before the power outage the murder took place. All that matters is that it was before N and O arrived on the floor, which we already said was roughly ten minutes before the supposed murder time and the power outage. Twenty minutes or an hour, it doesn't matter. M still could have killed the victim regardless of what time it was, so long as it was before N and O appeared on the scene," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke told us. "That contradiction doesn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things."

"I hate how easily he can adapt to the changes of the case... It makes our jobs so much harder," I heard Lily whisper bitterly. "I don't understand how he could be so good. When Mr. Morix told us about him a few months ago, he forgot to mention he was so talented at adaptation."

"He's always been pretty good at what he does, but this is something else. I suppose he's really toughened up since the last time I went up against him. It's a bit annoying, but there isn't much you can do about it," I told them.

"He certainly got in more investigation time than we did. I suppose he has that major advantage over us, which is really coming back to bite us now," Deirdre said next. "What we need right now is a major hole to poke in his story. If we can find a big contradiction, his case will probably be turned around on its head. I suggest we try and figure out more about the culprit's escape route."

"I don't understand. If the crime took place before we assumed like he said, then the escape route won't really matter," I frowned.

"It still plays a key role in this case. If we still go on and assume the crime was earlier than anticipated, the culprit would need to get away. If the culprit was from outside Interpol, they would have needed a way to get in and out without being detected. We would have heard about it if somebody from outside came in that day," Deirdre began to explain. "If somebody from Interpol committed the crime, they'd need to dispose of bloody clothing. You can't hit somebody with a vase without getting blood on you. However, nothing of that nature was found."

"So, we need either an escape route or a hiding place for the bloody clothing," Lily nodded. "I understand now. Nothing was found at Interpol with blood on it outside of the crime scene."

"I didn't hear about anything that could be used to destroy something at Interpol, so does something like that even exist?" I asked.

"I don't think there is anything. You can't shred fabric. You'd need to burn it or something, but there weren't any signs of a fire," Deirdre continued. "If we think about it logically, that means the culprit must have come in from the outside, but how could they get in undetected? It doesn't make any sense..."

"I mean, I don't know any way to get in without using the door. Doors might be for people with no imagination, but I'd rather take them than the window... Wait! A window!" I exclaimed. "What if the culprit got in through a window?!"

"But the fourth floor is high above the ground. If you fell from that height, you'd be as good as dead. How could you even get up there to begin with?" Lily asked doubtfully.

"Q already proposed the idea of an accomplice. If you ask me, that's pretty likely given the circumstances," Deirdre pointed out. "It would take a ladder or something, but you could probably find a way to escape the window if you had help."

"A ladder... Hm... If the culprit used a ladder, they would be able to get in and out without garnering any attention. They could dispose of the ladder without any issues too, so that is possible," I muttered.

"Your theories about a ladder mean nothing without evidence, defense," Judge Diaphan pointed out. "Do you have any proof somebody climbed out through the window?"

"Proof of that simply doesn't exist. The culprit couldn't have gone out that way," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke frowned.

"But this is essentially a locked room murder, so what other option was there?" I questioned.

"The murder took place earlier... Hm..." Lily murmured. "As much as I hate to admit it, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke has a point on that. The temperature suddenly dropping would tamper with the autopsy's time. Even if the time of the crime was earlier than we suspected, we still have to have evidence somewhere to show the escape route was the window."

"I doubt logic will work right now, which is unfortunate since that would be the easiest way out of this," I sighed with a shake of my head. "Let's think... Windows... Windows are loud, right?"

Lily's eyes went wide. "Windows are loud! That's it! I have proof the culprit used the window as the escape route! It'll prove the defendant couldn't have committed the crime as well!" she cried out. "I'd like to turn the court's attention to the picture of the crime scene! This picture shows exactly what caused the loud sound O and N heard at the time of the power outage!"

"What was it then?" asked Chief Prosecutor Bespoke.

"The window in the victim's office! That was the only way to get out of the room. As we said earlier, the slamming sound O and N heard couldn't have been either one of them. It had to be a third party on the floor. A window shutting loudly could easily cause a loud noise that could be heard a few doors down. They said it sounded like a slamming of a door, or at least O did, so that would make more sense than the vase hitting the victim's door. In other words, the victim's window slamming shut was what drew the two of them out of their office! Since the killer was escaping through the window and M was in the power room at the time, he couldn't have killed the victim!" Lily exclaimed triumphantly. "The real culprit was a third party who snuck into the victim's office, killed Y, and got out through the window!"

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke didn't even bother trying to form new words. He let out a groan of anger and reached for something in his pocket. It was soon revealed to be a knife. He began to play with it, though I could tell he was tempted to dig it into the bench before him. It was still in its case, but Prosecutor Wood went pale at seeing it. She tapped his arm and pointed to it, prompting him to put it away. He hissed an apology her way before looking up with a deep frown. "I suppose you could have a point there," he admitted softly.

"He can't adapt to that, can he?" Lily smiled. "I'm glad we figured that out. I don't think he'll be able to produce another explanation on such short notice."

"Don't count me out just yet," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke cut in. "There is one more question that I have, if you don't mind my asking." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try and get as far along as I can in posting this week so I can hopefully start writing the epilogue on time. If I can update every single day this week, I should be good.
> 
> We're getting closer to the big reveal. If I recall correctly, it's in seven or eight chapters. It's around part thirteen or fourteen. I have everything before part seventeen finished already, so it's just a matter of me remembering to post stuff here.
> 
> I'm also going to finish up the first path of the FE14 rewrite this week since only three chapters are left. After that, I'm going to focus on Alitia and QATH for a while. Yeet.
> 
> Also, I might try and ask questions in updates from here on out. I can't say how well it'll turn out, but I can try. For our first question, I want to know who you think Oracle will end up being. All my friends already know who it is, so I can't really ask them, so I'll leave it to the internet.
> 
> Until next time, I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Digital


	47. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 7

**September 1**

**Courtroom No. 6**

**11:45 AM**

**Lily Shield**

"What do you want to know?" I asked, though I was admittedly nervous. He was a good prosecutor, so I didn't want to chance him poking holes in our case. I thought the explanation I proposed was perfect, which meant we were supposed to be in the clear. I was still a bit nervous since he was so good at what he did, but I was hoping things were okay for the time being.

"You stated a ladder could be used to escape the crime scene at the time," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke began to say. "You must mean a rope ladder, yes?"

"Of course, I do. I can't think of how anybody would be able to lug around a metal ladder large enough to reach the fourth floor of a building. It would take a lot of effort, and on top of that, they wouldn't exactly go unnoticed due to the time it would take to move it around," I answered. "Why is that important?"

"One quality of a rope ladder is it must be draped downwards. You can't really set it up from the ground. With a metal ladder, you need to prepare it from the ground, but with a rope ladder, you'll need to throw it out of a window, for example. How do you propose the culprit got the rope ladder set up so they could get into the room? An escape route means nothing if you don't have a way for the culprit to get into the building to begin with," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said with a smirk.

"Oh," I muttered simply, unsure of what else I could really say. I had been so sure my case was flawless, but that definitely didn't seem to be the case now. "I guess I didn't think about that."

"If you can't propose how the culprit got in, all of this means nothing," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said.

Prosecutor Wood tapped on Chief Prosecutor Bespoke's arm with a small frown. "Um... I think I might have an explanation for that... I didn't know how to bring it up earlier, but... You remember D from earlier, right? She was the one O was with until she came up to the fourth floor. While she wasn't able tomake an appearance in court today, she did say something important we might want to go over," she said softly.

"What is it?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked.

"D said she saw Y a few times the day of the crime. She saw Y go up to the fourth floor twice, but she never saw her come back down, if you can believe that," frowned Prosecutor Wood. "Her office is on the third floor just outside the elevator. She said she asked around the office after the body was discovered and realized that nobody else saw her come down on a different floor. In other words, she went up twice but never came back down. That can't be possible."

"I don't understand how all of this could be possible... None of it makes sense," I grumbled with a shake of my head.

"Don't call it confusing too quickly, Lily. There is an explanation for this, and it could very easily crack this case. We have an escape route figured out, but we don't have an entrance. There has to be a reason for this, and what Prosecutor Wood just said could help us find an entrance," Deirdre cut in.

"Why didn't you bring this up sooner?" asked Judge Diaphan with a disproving frown. "This sounds like important information."

"I didn't know how to bring it up... I guess I got a bit distracted too," Prosecutor Wood answered. "I'm sorry about all the trouble."

"It's no trouble at all. This could very easily explain how the culprit got in to begin with," Deirdre said. "This crime was very clearly premeditated. That being said, the killer would have prepared ahead of time how to get inside. Would it really be out of the question for the culprit to disguise themselves as Y to get in without any suspicion? Afterwards, they could kill Y and make an escape through the window so nobody would see their bloodied clothing."

"That would make sense. It would explain why Y was seen going up but never back down. It makes a bit too much sense, actually," Yuri remarked. "In other words, it looks like the entrance has been procured. D even saw the culprit at the time of the crime."

"Would it be possible to call D into court today?" asked Judge Diaphan. "I believe we'll need their testimony if we are to solve this case."

"I don't know about that... D was set to be working on another case. With a bit of pressing, I learned it was interrogation of the agents selling out the company. Should this trial break for a second day, I can probably ask her about it. She's got something of an intimidating presence, so if anybody were to get the truth out of the traitors, it would be her," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke told us. "I don't think it would be easy to get her in here for today, but we can still use Q, O, and N to our advantage."

"Maybe we could go over the case, at least what we know about it, for now. If we run into any issues, we can look into them," Deirdre suggested.

"I think that would be a good idea," I agreed with a nod.

"Sounds good to me," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said. I was a bit surprised he was being so cool about it, but I was not objecting.

"He's on our side now. I guess we've earned his respect," grinned Yuri. "He's always after the truth, even if he's a tough opponent. To see him flop over to our side means he probably has some respect for us and is willing to pursue this case through to the end with us."

"Let's start off with what happened a few weeks ago... I'm talking about the reveal that a few agents working in Interpol were traitors. Some of the agents working under M and N were exposed through a letter sent to M and N not long ago to have been selling company secrets to anybody who pays them enough. It was supposedly sent by Oracle themselves, if you can at all believe that," I began to say. "I wonder if we have any information on the letter that could point to who Oracle is. I mean, as of now, the only one who knows is Y, and she can't exactly tell us anymore."

"Regardless of who Oracle is, the fact remains they sent a letter to M and N. After reading over it, the two deemed it a good idea to investigate it. They declared a few agents were traitors and began to snoop as an attempt to weed them out. In the end, their attempts were successful. Most of the agents who had been selling out the company were exposed and arrested for their treachery. However, not much information has been pressed out of the on the matter. They refuse to say who they sold the information to or what they even revealed to outside parties. As irritating as it is, if they've remained firm thus far, it might be hard to get them to open up now," Deirdre went on.

"Maybe we could have N testify about the letter he and M got about Oracle. I'm a bit curious about it. Plus, Oracle has quite a bit to do with this case," Yuri suggested. "I mean, if M's supposed motive is really that he was working alongside Oracle all this time, anything we can learn about them will be helpful. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Even if it serves no purpose in the long run, I must admit that I'm a bit curious as well," Deirdre admitted. She looked up to Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. "What do you think of that? Would that be alright with you?"

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke hesitated for a moment. I saw him look up at the gallery, as if he was meeting someone's eyes. I turned around to see who it was, but I didn't see anybody out of the ordinary. Prosecutor Burke, Anton, and Mr. Morix were all sitting above me. Perhaps he was trying to communicate with them... The photo came to mind for a brief moment, but I didn't have time to think through it further.

"Alright," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke agreed with a nod. I got the feeling he really wasn't behind it, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. I had a gut instinct it was best if I stayed quiet. Besides, if I wanted to question him on the matter later on, I could without an issue. "Is that alright with you, Your Honor?"

Judge Diaphan nodded. "Go right ahead."

"The prosecution calls N to the witness stand," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke announced.

Not long after this declaration, N took Q's place at the witness stand. He glanced over at M nervously, refusing to look at anyone else. He fingered the edge of his jacket silently as he waited to be addressed. With the way he was acting, it seemed to me that he had been in a courtroom before, though I couldn't say for sure. It probably wasn't relevant to the case at hand anyways, so I decided to mentally drop the subject as soon as Judge Diaphan spoke again.

"Please state your name and occupation for the court," she instructed.

N nodded hesitantly. "Alright... My name can't be revealed here to due Interpol's protocol, but I go by the letter N. I work as M's right hand. We lead Interpol together and act as its spokespeople to other important groups," he explained.

"Would you be willing to tell the court about what happened regarding the letter from Oracle? Do you happen to have it with you?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked.

N looked over at M. When M nodded, N began digging into one of his pockets. "As a matter of fact, I did bring it with me today. M suggested that I have it just in case somebody wants to ask questions. This case all ties in with the corruption of Interpol's technology branch since that's how the criminal was likely able to hack into the security system at the time of the crime," he said. After a few more seconds of digging, he produced a small piece of paper. It wasn't full-sized page, instead looking like it had come out of a smaller notebook.

"What exactly does it say?" I couldn't help but ask. "For having heard so much about this note, we haven't heard the exact words on it."

"'Heed my warnings. Inside of Interpol, there are traitors. Agents among you have been selling secrets intended to be hidden out to highly paying parties. I can say not who they may be. Do not brush this aside. Your downfall may come should you fail to root out those who betray you. Be careful of who you trust. Sincerely, Oracle,'" N read, his grip on the note tight. "At first, we were a bit hesitant to believe what the note told us. However, with a little bit of investigation, we realized Oracle was actually right. We eliminated every single agent we found problematic and had them arrested."

"This was around when Y came to you and said she figured out who Oracle was, yes?" Deirdre questioned.

N nodded. "Yeah, you're right. She offered to tell us who Oracle was, but since M was anticipating getting more help from Oracle, he told her to remain quiet on the matter until the issue of traitors was sorted out. She was worried that Oracle was an agent working against us, but M needed her to hold off on exposing them until after we had weeded out the known traitors," he explained.

"In the end, Y died before she could explain the truth..." Chief Prosecutor Bespoke murmured. "Did you receive any other letters from Oracle?"

"We got four others after the original. They were mostly similar, with Oracle saying they were doing some digging on their own time to figure out who was turning against Interpol. Each time, a name would be sent on the letter, saying one person who they knew had turned traitor. When a name was revealed, we'd do some snooping. Each time, they were right. Because of how helpful they were, M wanted to hold off on revealing who they were," N went on.

"Supposedly, Y had papers on who Oracle was sitting on her desk... That does make me question one thing though," I said. "We already know M couldn't have killed the victim since he was stuck in the power room at the time of the crime and the power outage came from outside. That means the proposed motive for him no longer works as we suspected it would... Maybe we can get one step closer to the killer by thinking through a motive that would work for somebody else."

"That sounds good to me," Yuri nodded. "I can't really think of any one person in particular a motive would work for... I mean, the files Y had on Oracle were stolen, so it's clear it had something to do with them. However, there are so many people that are after Oracle these days. I mean, you've got individuals with a bone to pick, Occisor, hired killers... There are way too many people I can think of. Unless we can narrow it down, it's going to be really hard to find one person who would want to kill Y so they could get their hands on those files."

"I can't help but agree... The agents who were arrested because of tips from Oracle would have a grudge, so they could have hired somebody to go after them. Anybody who feels their security is threatened by their existence could have gone after Y for that information. Finally, there's the matter ofOccisor, who has been trying for months now to track Oracle down to kill them. I mean, we've already seen other people fall to their greed, and as far as I'm aware, they're all still at large," Deirdre continued. "Those are just a few examples of the many who could want to know who Oracle is. Plus, there are curious souls out there who want to know just for the sake of knowing. Pick which group you feel is most likely. They all have a chance of being responsible for this. It's nearly impossible to narrow down with purely evidence and no guesswork."

"In other words, we're in trouble," I sighed with a shake of my head. "N, do you have any ideas? Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, if you have any other suggestions, please chime in. We're a bit desperate at this point, as I'm sure you've noticed."

"I don't know... I tend to stay away from Oracle business. I avoid things I think are particularly dangerous. It freaks me out to think about, so I choose not to involve myself in it," N admitted. "Up until we got the letters, I was acting like it didn't even exist. I didn't want to risk ending up too deep in a rabbit hole I didn't want to know existed in the first place."

"I'm afraid I don't have many ideas either. I know stuff about it, but I don't have any excessive details," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said with a shrug. "Sorry about that. I hope it isn't too much of an inconvenience."

"It'll be okay. I'm sure there's evidence lurking somewhere that hints as to who the real killer is. I mean, as Prosecutor Wood mentioned, this D agent saw somebody who looked like the victim go upstairs twice but never come back down. That's rather fishy. I'm sure one of them was the culprit, so we can ask around about them should we break for another day of investigation," I declared. "As it stands, I don't really think we have enough evidence to completely clear M of the proposed crimes. After all, we need to show who really did it to get him off the hook. If it's alright with both of you, maybe we could go on and stop the trial here to investigate the case more. The culprit disguising themselves as the victim could work in our favor, but only if we can find out a bit more about it."

"I don't think we should really stop now. There are a few other things we need to figure out that we can still do for today. We should try to get as much done as we can. If we hold it off until tomorrow, something could easily end up slipping through the cracks," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said. "Are there any objections to that?"

As much as I wanted to break for the day to learn more about the culprit dressing up as the victim, I knew he was right. Putting things off until tomorrow wouldn't help anyone. The more we could get done today, the better our case would be. "Alright, that sounds good with me," I declared after sharing a glance of agreement with Deirdre and Lily.

"Are there any particular subjects you want to bring up now?" Deirdre questioned.

"We could continue our breakdown of the case as we were doing before. We started talking about the case from start to finish, but we got sidetracked and started talking about the letters," Yuri suggested. "Does that sound good to you?"

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded. "Alright. Where were we?"

"We were saying how Oracle sent letters about who the traitors to Interpol were," I explained. "We should probably move on to talking about Y's research next. After all, that's probably the motive behind this case, regardless of who killed her. I mean, the files on her desk were stolen. I can't think of any other reason brought up so far that would explain why Y would have to die and the files would go missing. This is the only explanation that makes sense."

"Then let's continue," Yuri nodded.

"Y was looking into the Oracle of the Law case alongside O, another agent of Interpol," Deirdre continued. "After searching for months, Y finally came to a conclusion regarding who Oracle was, but she didn't tell O. Shortly after, the two seemed to get into some sort of argument. O doesn't even know what happened. Y stopped talking to her for whatever reason. It seems as if there was a falling out O wasn't aware of. Maybe Y grew angry at something O said without telling her?"

"I have no idea what could have caused this sort of falling out," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said. "I questioned a bunch of people on the matter after hearing what O had to say on the matter, but none of them had any ideas. It seemed as if this grudge lived and died with Y herself, and now that she's gone, it will be nearly impossible to hear what it was about."

"Maybe we could have O come and testify for us about it," Yuri suggested. "She might not know about it, but if she gives us an in-depth analysis, maybe we can figure it out on our own. I don't know for sure if that will work, but it might be worth a shot, right?"

"I don't know if we'll be able to do that. O probably won't be able to help us figure out much of anything. Any hints she can give likely won't do us much in the long run. In other words, we might just want to leave her be until we need her for something else," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said. "However, if we get a bit further into the trial and find that we still need her for this, we can call her in."

"In that case, let's just go further in our summary of what we know so far. Like you said, we can always call in O a bit later if we need her," Deirdre nodded. "I think we're getting closer to the actual time of the crime now."

"We are. That being said, let's start from the beginning of the day of the murder," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke announced. He looked over to Prosecutor Wood and nudged her gently with his arm to prompt her to speak.

She looked up from her excessive paper shuffling in shock that she was being addressed. Prosecutor Wood met his eyes with something akin to horror, but when he nodded, she sighed and began to speak. "The day of the crime, a field agent who goes by the letter D saw Y go up to the fourth floor twice, but she never came back down. Questioning other agents revealed that she didn't go to other floors that day either," she explained, her voice shaking. I felt kind of bad for her...

"One of these copies of Y could have been the killer in disguise. That's the main explanation I can think of. After all, if nobody saw her come down, she must have stayed up. The actual Y went upstairs to her office, where she was later killed by the real culprit. The other Y, the fake one, went upstairs as well to kill her, but this one used a ladder suspended from the window of Y's office to escape. The killer would have been covered in blood from slamming the vase onto her head and wouldn't have wanted to leave by normal means. Leaving through the window would have eliminated the potential of being seen by third parties and labeled suspicious," Deirdre continued. "Do you have any other details about either version of Y, Prosecutor Wood?"

"I didn't get very much information from D, but I'll gladly share what I do have," Prosecutor Wood nodded. "She said the first Y was carrying a large bag and didn't respond to D's questions about what was inside the bag. D ended up brushing it off since Y had been acting strangely in general ever since figuring out who Oracle really was. The second Y waved to her and they held a short conversation before she went upstairs."

"What did they talk about?" I asked next. "Do you think it could be relevant to the case at all?"

"D asked her what was bothering her. Y didn't really give a straight answer, instead dodging the question where she could. She ended up remarking that there weren't many people you could trust at Interpol. After that, she headed for the elevator and went upstairs for the last time. D tried to pursue her, but Y wasn't in the mood for conversation. She made notes of the conversation, which she then shared with me during yesterday's investigation segment," Prosecutor Wood continued. "She didn't give me a copy of them or anything, but I could ask for some should the trial end up breaking for further investigation."

"The first version of Y not saying anything makes it sound like that was the fake one. The second Y was rather conversational with D and didn't try to dodge talking to her. While she was still acting strangely, I get the feeling D would have realized it if her voice sounded different all of a sudden," Yuri remarked. "In other words, it sounds as if the killer got up to her office first and waited for her to come back."

"The first Y was carrying a large bag too. She could have easily had a rope ladder with her in that bag at the time of the crime. That way, she could make her getaway without anybody seeing her covered in blood," I pointed out. "I'm already getting a much better idea of how this case played out thanks to this information from D. It's a shame we can't have her testify here today..."

"I'm sure she'd be happy to come by and tell us about what she saw tomorrow," Prosecutor Wood said, shuffling more through her papers. "For now, all we really have is what she told me yesterday. Luckily, it sounds to me like she had quite a bit of information at her disposal. I guess we can use that to our advantage when it comes to working out who the culprit is."

"Speaking of the culprit, what exactly do we know about them as of now?" questioned Deirdre. "They must have had a similar physique to Y for D to think they were the same person. Y looked to be about five feet and six inches tall, so I'd assume our killer was the same. They'd have a similar figure to hers as well."

"If you ask me, we're probably looking at a female culprit then. Y was pretty chesty, I must say," I commented. "Of course, I can't say for sure, but I guess it's a good place to start. If there's anything else we can figure out, that will narrow it down even more."

"No suspicious people seemed to enter Interpol the day of the crime," Yuri remarked. "I guess nobody would be suspicious to see an agent enter the building... I would find it odd to see them come in twice though. It makes you wonder how the killer managed to get away with that."

"I can't say how they pulled it off either, but we should probably try and figure it out," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke remarked.

"Actually... Y was sort of known for taking random breaks during the day. Because of her investigation into Oracle, she was in and out of the office a lot, so her coming in twice wouldn't be too strange. It could very easily be passed off as security not seeing her leave. Y does a lot of moving around because of her position," N cut in. I had completely forgotten he was still up at the witness stand with all that was going on. I hope that doesn't sound too mean...

"In other words, it wouldn't be too out of the question to see her come in twice," I murmured. "I guess that solves that issue. Now, we're pretty much up to the time of the murder. Let's go over what happened with the killer's interactions with Y. We know a lot more now than we did back when this trial began, so it wouldn't hurt to recap it all."

"The culprit went up to Y's office after being spotted by D. They waited in Y's office for them to arrive. They could have very easily messed with her files a bit beforehand. After all, that's the reason they were there," Deirdre began. "Y came in and was attacked by the culprit. She was hit on the head with a nearby vase, which shattered on impact. At the time, they were the only two people on the floor, so nobody overheard them."

"The crime took place earlier than the autopsy stated. The power outage that took place caused a disturbance in temperature. The actual time of the crime was roughly an hour earlier than stated, but because of the drop in temperature, we assumed it was later," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke cut in. "Continue."

"After the attack, the killer continued to rummage through her files. Due to Y's messy handwriting, it took a while for them to find what they were looking for. In the end, they found the stack with the information they needed and fled by use of the rope ladder they suspended from Y's window. The window slamming shut was heard a few rooms down on either side by N and O, both of whom had come onto the floor. M had also entered the floor, though he was in the secluded power room at the time," I went on.

"We assumed at first this slamming sound had been the vase hitting the victim's head when this was not the case," cut in Yuri. "Instead, it was the window from when the culprit made their escape. This was another factor that threw off our suspicions on when the crime took place."

"N and O left their offices to investigate the random loud noise. They went to enter Y's office, but they were stopped when a power outage occurred. Due to the nature of the security system at Interpol, the doors all slammed shut instantly, locking them out. M was also trapped in the power room. The power outage went on for quite some time. When the power returned, M was alone in the power room. N spoke with him for a while. O went off on her own to call the police. She met them out front. Shortly after, the murder of Y was revealed to the world," finished Prosecutor Wood. "I think that's a good summary of the case, at least from what we know so far..."

"I can't think of anything else in particular we need to go over as of now. Maybe we should call O in now," suggested Deidre. "I feel as if her testimony is the next piece to this puzzle since we can't talk to D today. How about we break for a recess briefly to call her in? I doubt she'll be fully prepared to testify at the moment."

"We can do that soon, yes," Judge Diaphan nodded. "I think it would certainly be wise to call her to the stand. We need to figure out what happened between her and Y a few weeks before the crime. Even if Y's secret on the matter died with her, the closer we can get, the better."

"In that case, are there any other things we should discuss before going to recess?" I asked.

"I want to theorize a little bit about what happened between Y and O with what information we have, if that's alright," said Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. "Is that alright?"

"I think that's fine," I nodded. "Let's get to it."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instagram was down today. I should have gotten a lot done.
> 
> I did not. Instead I hung out on Rabbit and watched RWBY and Winx Club with my friends. Anybody who judges me will be sued.
> 
> Now, I'm off to actually be productive before Instagram can come back online and turn my productivity to 0%. I have a chapter of the Fates Rewrite to finish.
> 
> -Digital


	48. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 8

**September 1**

**Courtroom No. 6**

**12:30 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

"O and Y had been good friends and business partners up until a few weeks ago. At about the time Y figured out who Oracle was, she stopped talking to O. Even if they were supposed to be working together, Y refused to say a word to her. O has mentioned a few times she has no idea why she would suddenly be ignored by her close friend, and in all truth, I can't think of a reason for it either," I admitted. "I don't know how we can come up with a theory regarding what happened when one of the parties involved doesn't even know."

"If you ask me, Y must have figured something out in her own research that resulted in her blocking out O. I don't know what that could be exactly, but it was something large enough to ruin their relationship near immediately," frowned Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. "With her files gone, it will be hard to determine what this is, but I have faith we'll be able to get through it somehow."

"I don't know how we'll do that," Yuri admitted with a shake of her head. "I mean, without any crucial information, this is going to be awful. O doesn't even know anything. With Y dead, we can't exactly ask her what caused this. The dead keep their secrets."

"I could try and channel her, I guess," Lily murmured. "I can't say how well that would turn out since it's been a while... I haven't channeled anybody in a few months, so..."

"It might be worth looking into in the future, but we can't even confirm she'd tell us the truth. Besides, isn't there a hole in that idea?" asked Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. "In order to channel someone, you need their true name, and that isn't exactly working out for us since Interpol is involved with this case. I mean, all names are hidden for the sake of the agents working there and their families. Only letters are given out. While the autopsy report may have her name on it, for the safety of her living relatives, her name must not be revealed through channeling or otherwise."

As he spoke, I frowned to myself. I was beginning to pick up on something with his words. He was hiding something. I didn't know what it was, but he was firmly against channeling Y because of it. I looked to Yuri. She was staring at him with a scrutinizing glare, so I got the feeling she had noticed it as well. I stared at the wood of the bench with a small sigh. I didn't know if his secret was going to be important, so I figured it would be best not to press on it for now.

Besides, loathe as I was to admit it, he had a point. Y may have been dead, but her family was still alive, and since she knew who Oracle was, they could become targets if her name was revealed to the world. It was too big a risk. We would have to avoid channeling if possible. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke's desperation to avoid channeling seemed to stem from something else, but I couldn't dig into it now. He would only grow suspicious if I tried to ask him about it so suddenly. I could always call him on it when the investigation continued. After all, it was basically certain at this point we were going to break for another investigation period, so I would have time for my quiet thoughts then.

"In other words, it's theorize, which we have very little evidence for, or call in O, which could prove to be problematic since she doesn't know much of anything regarding Y's sudden change in personality," Judge Diaphan remarked with a shake of her head. "I don't know how we're going to get out of this one, but there isn't much we can do on the matter now..."

"O doesn't know what happened with Y, so I bet Y figured something out on her own. O didn't realize Y had figured something out," I murmured.

"Wouldn't that mean O has something to hide? She intentionally tried to keep it secret by feigning innocence, but she couldn't keep it from coming out that she knew something," frowned Lily. "I don't know what it could be, but if O knows and has just been keeping it hidden..."

"Y has been looking into Oracle recently, so what if O had something to do with the project?" Yuri asked. "It would make sense. How else would Y randomly find something out about her friend? If it had to do with Oracle, of course she would know. She's the leader of Interpol's investigation of Oracle."

"You mean to say that O knows something relating to Oracle, and after Y figured it out, she began to avoid her out of fear or something similar," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke muttered. "I see... I don't know much on what exactly Y figured out, but O might know since they were investigation partners."

"In other words, it wouldn't be a bad idea to adjourn court so you can prepare her, yes?" asked Lily.

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded hesitantly. "I can't think of any other ideas for what we should do now..." he whispered with a shake of his head.

"O and Y were looking into Oracle, but all of a sudden, Y stopped talking to her. O has said she doesn't know why, but that's probably a lie. She knew fully well why Y wasn't talking to her anymore. Y was looking into Oracle all this time, so chances are it has something to do with them," Prosecutor Wood murmured, writing down on a small notepad as she spoke. "Let's ask her what's going on. I don't know how she's going to worm her way out of this."

"If there are no further objections, would we be able to adjourn court?" asked Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, looking up to Judge Diaphan.

She glanced over at Yuri, Lily, and me. We all shared a conclusive nod saying we were alright with it. Judge Diaphan nodded herself before lifting her gavel. "Court is now adjourned for a twenty-minute recess," she declared, slamming the gavel down.

**September 1**

**Defendant Lobby No. 6**

**12:40 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

"If we're being perfectly honest here, I was very worried in there," Yuri admitted as we entered the defendant lobby. "I mean, we went in with minimal evidence, but we still did pretty well. Right now, we have Chief Prosecutor Bespoke in agreement with us in saying M didn't do it. It takes a lot to earn his respect and get him to help you out fully, so I'm glad we were able to pull that off. Things are going to be much easier from here on out."

"I wonder about what happened with O though," Lily frowned. "I mean, we spoke to her for a while yesterday, and I didn't really get any overwhelming senses indicating she was lying. I guess she's just good at her job."

"I would agree on that," I nodded. "However, it isn't our issue at the moment. We need to figure out why they stopped talking. If we were right in assuming it was because of Oracle and O being involved somehow, we could be in trouble. O could easily try to get away and keep her secrets from being exposed."

"I don't know how we're going to deal with her. I get the feeling she's a girl who knows how to keep her secrets hidden. She's going to be a difficult foe to oppose," Yuri remarked.

"I have faith you can pull it off."

We turned upon hearing Mr. Morix's voice. He was walking towards us, his hands shoved in his pockets. His gaze was dark and serious. I got the feeling he was not to be trifled with in this state, which sent a bit of a shiver down my spine.

"You really think so?" Yuri asked with a wide smile. "I hope so. It's going to be rough, but we're pretty good at our jobs at this point."

"O is going to be difficult to deal with, just like Yuri said. However, you've come this far, so you can't give up yet. The more you can figure out now, the easier the investigation will be," Mr. Morix said. "Just because it won't be easy doesn't mean you should give up just like that."

"I'm thankful you believe in us. I mean, if you thought we were doomed, I would be seriously worried," Yuri admitted, rubbing at the back of her neck.

"Do you have any ideas for how we should approach her?" asked Lily.

"I think you shouldn't hold back. Interpol agents are unlikely to be caught lying. They're the best in the country at what they do. I mean, I wouldn't really say you even called out Q or N for lying. They were merely mistaken on the facts," Mr. Morix began to say. "O isn't going to be an exception. Be as ruthless as possible. Show no mercy in interrogating her. She'll eventually be forced to crack and tell her the truth."

"We'll do that then," I nodded. "Is there anything else you want us to keep in mind?"

"Hm... Try to stay out of trouble," Mr. Morix said next with a small shrug. "I know there's a chance I won't see you before the inevitable next phase of investigation, so I might as well wish you good luck now."

"I know we'll be able to corner her and take care of this," grinned Lily. "We have it all under control."

"I know you do," Mr. Morix told us. He smiled before starting to walk away, but I couldn't help but feel strange.

"He was lying to us there. He doubts us, doesn't he?" Yuri asked with a frown.

"I think it's deeper than that. Remember how he seemed to know about who Oracle was? Maybe this case potentially exposing O's involvement in the matter is stressing him out," Lily said. "I can't say for sure. Regardless, I get the feeling things are about to come to a head. When we get the chance back at the agency, we need to ask him what he knows about Oracle. If he does know who they are, we'll probably need to know to crack this case open."

"It's going to be risky, but I must agree. It isn't just a matter of simple curiosity at this point. Figuring out who Oracle was will help us determine who really committed the crime. It's vital that we find the truth," I agreed with a nod. "Pressing Mr. Morix is going to be our best way of reaching that end."

"In that case, I guess we should do our best for now. The more we learn in court, the more prepared we'll be to face off against him in a battle of logic. Mr. Morix is a sharp guy, in case you haven't already noticed. I mean, you guys haven't really seen him when he really turns a case around. The case when Anton was in jail, back when Lily helped him out, was pretty much child's play to him. He's really good at what he does. Going up against that is going to be very rough," Yuri told us.

"Then how do we deal with him?" I questioned. "You've seen him in action. What should we do?" 

"In truth, while I do know what he's capable of, I don't know his weaknesses as well as some people. Chrysalis might be willing to tell us if she's available to talk," Yuri pointed out. She pulled her phone from her pocket and began tapping the screen. "I'm going to call her. If she's still at the airport, she should be free to talk for a little bit until she gets on the plane. Then again, if she's already boarded, it might be a while longer..."

Yuri poked a few more times at the screen before holding it up to her ear. "Hello?" she asked the receiver. She pulled it away from her face and pressed a button to put the call on speaker a few seconds later. "Hm... It's ringing..."

When there was a clicking sound from the other side of the phone, we were instantly greeted with the sound of something being thrown. A sharp scream could be heard as well, though I couldn't tell whose it was. I let out a small gasp of shock. "What's going on?!" I asked hurriedly.

Yuri opened her mouth to speak, but she didn't get the chance to say anything. The person on the other end spoke first.  _"If you know what's good for you, act as if this call didn't happen,"_  came the harsh voice of a man from the other side. Immediately afterwards, he hung up.

Yuri ignored this caution and called the number once again. "Please answer," she whispered, tapping her foot impatiently. "Come on, Chrysalis... Please say you're okay..."

Another clicking noise came from the other side. There was no man's voice this time, just another thumping noise, as if something had been thrown again. I heard a small groan of pain before the line went dead. I couldn't tell what had happened, but some part of my brain told me the phone had been stepped on or something.

I looked to Yuri and Lily silently. Yuri was pale and clinging to her phone as if it was the one thing keeping her alive. I could see her shaking slightly. "We have to tell Mr. Morix. We must put aside our questions and tell him what just happened. He needs to know about this," she said quickly.

"What even happened? I don't understand. That phone call was certainly strange. Something bad was happening. Who was that man? Where's Chrysalis? Is she okay?" Lily asked. With each word, her speech was speeding up. She began to pace back and forth not long after. "I don't get any of this, but I have a really bad feeling about it."

"I get the feeling we just heard something very important," I whispered, shaking my head. "I can't say it's a good thing... In fact, it undoubtedly isn't... I still feel we should tell Mr. Morix as Yuri said. He needs to hear about it if something happened to Chrysalis."

"I didn't hear her voice in that call... Maybe somebody took her phone while she was at the airport," Yuri suggested, though I could easily hear her voice trembling. "I don't know... I just have a bad feeling about it... I feel sick..."

"I'm sure she's fine," Lily chirped, though she wasn't really fooling anyone, not that Yuri was ready to call her on it. I didn't say anything on the matter either, instead choosing to stare down at my toes intensely, hoping it would keep me from going into a further panic.

"Is it just me, or has this recess been the longest twenty minutes of my life?" Yuri asked, trying to change the subject. She turned on her phone for a moment and checked the time. "Yeah, it certainly has been... It's been more than twenty minutes. In fact, it's been closer to twenty-five. I can't say for sure why that would be, but we haven't been called back into the courtroom yet, so I suppose we might as well take advantage of it."

"We need to find Mr. Morix," I said firmly. "He's bound to be around here somewhere. The sooner we can talk to him, the better. He might have an idea as to what's going on with Chrysalis. If he does, we hopefully won't need to worry quite so much."

"I don't know where he is. After we finished talking to him earlier, he ran off. Maybe he wanted to talk to Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. They've been friends for a long time now, so that wouldn't be completely out of the question," Yuri pointed out. "I don't know where he would be aside from with Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, so we should check there first."

"I guess it's off to the prosecution lobby with us then," Lily nodded. I was glad to have the distraction, I must admit. I didn't say anything as we headed to the other lobby, praying the dark thoughts that had appeared in my head would decide to go away after we found Mr. Morix, even if I knew that was not going to be the case.

When we got to the prosecution lobby, we were surprised to find it empty. There was nobody there aside from Prosecutor Wood. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke and Mr. Morix were nowhere to be found. There weren't even any gallery watchers milling about, which was a bit concerning, but I didn't say anything about it.

Instead, I approached Prosecutor Wood and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Excuse me," I began to say. "Prosecutor Wood?"

She jumped upon realizing I was there. It took a moment for her eyes to go back into focus, so I suspected she had been spaced out. It would explain why she hadn't noticed us walking in. "H-Hello," she stammered, beginning to pull on her braids rather violently. "Wh-What is it? Do you need something?"

"Have you seen Mr. Morix? We want to talk to him," I explained. "We figured he would be with Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, but he isn't here either."

Prosecutor Wood began tapping one foot against the ground as she spoke. "He came in a few minutes ago to talk to Da—erm, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke about something. They decided to take it out into the hallway. We were looking for O up until that point. For some reason, we can't find her anywhere, which isn't good. We need her testify sooner rather than later, but we can't do that if we can't find her," she explained.

"You can't find her?" I asked in shock. "Wasn't she here earlier? If she was supposed to testify, it would only make sense if she was here. You can't make an absent person talk about the crime..." 

"She was here. We even spoke to her before the trial started," Prosecutor Wood assured us. "She was ready to tell us everything she knew about the case, but now, we can't find a trace of her. It's almost like she just disappeared. We know that isn't possible, but what else could have happened? I don't understand any of it, I'm afraid..."

"It's okay. Let's just keep looking around for her together. Maybe we'll get lucky and find Chief Prosecutor Bespoke and Mr. Morix too," Lily said with a smile. She seemed to be much more relaxed now than she had been mere moments ago.

"What should we do about Chrysalis?" Yuri asked, getting up on tiptoe to whisper into my ear. "Should we tell her? I mean, if we can't find Mr. Morix or Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, I don't know who else we would tell. She's a prosecutor, so she would be able to get the news around pretty quickly about something going wrong."

"We can tell her a bit later. I don't know who else we would tell, but I would rather wait until after we could potentially tell Mr. Morix," I answered. "I feel like he should know first. He can decide who should know about the situation after hearing about it since he's her legal guardian."

"Got it," Yuri nodded. She turned back to Prosecutor Wood, who was staring at her with a perplexed expression. Yuri shrugged to the other girl and gestured to the door. "Shall we go? Those two little rascals aren't going to find themselves, are they?"

"I guess not. Let's get to it then," I agreed. I followed Yuri and Prosecutor Wood out of the lobby and out to the hallway. It was empty like the lobby was. Nobody could be seen in either direction. Most trials in the courthouse were either still going on or had ended an hour ago, which meant only people from our trial were going to be wandering about. That certainly made it easier on us.

"Maybe KJ will know where he got off to," suggested Yuri. "He's been our friend for a while, so it would make sense if he knew. He's pretty observant and would notice where Mr. Morix went."

"You mean the bailiff, don't you?" Lily asked. "The purple-haired one who's been on a few of our trials?"

Yuri nodded. "That's the one. He's a good kid. I'm sure he'll be happy to help us out," she said. "He's as good a place to start as any."

As if on cue, the bailiff came walking into view. He had a frown on his face as he searched for something. Yuri didn't waste a second in running up to him, waving her arms about. "KJ!" she called out. "KJ, pay attention to me!"

The boy looked up, his face breaking into a smile. "Hey there, Yuri! What's going on with you?" he asked.

"We're looking for Mr. Morix. Have you seen him anywhere?" she asked. "Any information you can give us will be helpful. We have something important to tell him."

"I was looking for someone too, so I suppose I could help," KJ shrugged. "I wasn't searching for Mr. Morix though. I was hoping somebody could help me lift something."

"We can help you," Lily offered. "What is it you need help with?"

KJ gestured for us to follow him. We ended up in a small lobby near the courtroom we were in for our trial. It was nearly empty. One object could be seen. It was an old TV perched on the couch, leaving a large dent in the cushions. I hadn't seen something that large and elderly in years. It had to be at least twenty years old, and even that might have been pushing the youth scale a little bit.

"I found this thing just sitting here," he frowned. "The previous case in this lobby was a robbery trial with a quick conviction. The defendant even confessed to stealing the jewelry brought up. I was supposed to come through and clean it out, make sure nobody was left and stuff. When I came in, everybody was gone, but this TV was still here. I found it suspicious, so I was going to take it to somebody who would know what to do with it. Of course, I forgot that I have the muscle composition of a noodle and can't lift many heavy things, so I wasn't exactly successful."

"I find it hard to believe anyone would leave a TV just sitting around like this. It seems peculiar to me..." Lily whispered. "You don't know who left it or why it would be here either... Hm..."

I got a bit closer to the TV only to be hit by a sudden and rotten stench. I shook my head and fanned at my nose. "That does not smell good," I muttered. However, it didn't really smell like dust. There was something else there... I didn't know what it was, but I had a bad feeling about it...

"What is it?" Yuri asked. She leaned in closer to the TV and sniffed as well. "You're right! That's not just any bad smell though! That's definitely blood!"

"Blood?!" KJ exclaimed. He heaved the side of the TV screen, making it turn onto its side. Sure enough, under the TV, there was a small bloodstain on the cushions of the couch. A tuft of white hair could be seen as well, stained with a bit of blood at the edges.

KJ reached down and poked at the blood for a moment. I noticed it was also on the bottom of the TV in limited quantities. His finger came up wet. "It's fresh," he murmured. "What could it be from?"

Lily reached down and picked up the hair. "Wait... This hair... It looks familiar... Doesn't O have white hair?" she asked with a frown.

The realization made me go cold. "She does... This couldn't be her blood... Right?" I murmured.

"It would make sense as to why I couldn't find her..." whispered Prosecutor Wood. "But why would somebody want to hurt her? And if something did happen, why is her hair here? She definitely isn't anywhere to be seen..."

"I don't know," Yuri said bluntly. "I just have a bad feeling about this... We need to find Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. He must have some ideas as to what to do now... He should be able to help us, right? We need him and Mr. Morix."

"I think I saw them go into the nearby lobby, come to think of it," KJ said to himself. "The courtroom linked to that lobby isn't being used anymore, so they would be completely alone. It's a good place to go if you need some peace and quiet, I suppose..."

"Then let's go get them," I declared.

"I'm going to stay here and look over the TV. I can't have anyone tampering with the evidence," KJ said firmly.

"I'll stay with you. There's safety in numbers, you know?" Yuri remarked. Lily gave her the white hair, which she accepted with a nod. "Go on and bring them back. We need to tell them about this as soon as possible. I have a bad feeling about all this."

Prosecutor Wood, Lily, and I all dashed off to the lobby KJ mentioned. I wasn't sure about the other two, but I could hear my heart pounding loudly in my chest. It nearly drowned out all other sounds. I couldn't really help my panic given what had happened this recess. I wish I knew what to do about it, but I didn't really have any ideas...

When we got to the lobby, I was sad to find it empty. There wasn't even a trace of Mr. Morix or Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, as if they had never been there to begin with. I couldn't help but frown. Where in the world had those two gotten off to?

"I don't get it," frowned Lily. "They were supposed to be here. They should be able to talk to us, but they're gone... This is weird. I don't like it. Somehow, I get the feeling something has gone horribly wrong... Well, even more horribly wrong than it's already gone, which is saying a lot given how bad our current situation is."

"I wonder how they've managed to evade us through all our searching," I sighed with a shake of my head. "There has to be someplace we haven't checked... I don't really know where that would be, but it must exist. The courthouse is large, but most of it is being used or was used earlier today for other trials. I guess we'll just have to search the whole building and ask around."

"Hey! Guys!"

KJ's voice coming from the doorway made me turn. He was standing there with Yuri, who was frowning deeply. "They're starting up the trial now. I guess Chief Prosecutor Bespoke ended up heading into the courtroom," he remarked with a shake of his head. "I guess this whole search thing was for nothing."

"I don't care. Let's get in there. I want to talk to him as soon as possible," Lily said firmly. "I guess we're going to have to hold off talking to Mr. Morix until after the trial ends. It isn't exactly ideal, but we don't really have a choice in the matter. In a word, this recess has been very inconvenient, hasn't it?"

"There isn't a thing we can do about it now though, so let's go get this trial over with. If something really did happen to O, if that's really her blood, there isn't much of anything we can do today. We'll likely have to break for investigation. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but I was hoping it wouldn't happen like this," I murmured.

"Speaking of O, they've decided to set up the TV in the courtroom. Another bailiff came by and asked about it, so we explained the whole situation. He figured Judge Diaphan would want to see it in the courtroom. I don't know how it's going to fit into this whole puzzle, but I suspect we'll find out soon enough. Whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen," Yuri commented. "All our papers from before the recess should still be in there. Let's get to it. I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for all of this to be over. I want to curl up in my room for a few hours to erase the trauma of that phone call."

"Phone call?" Prosecutor Wood echoed with wide eyes. "What happened?"

"We can explain it later. For now, let's get going," I said. My hands clenched into tight fists. "I'm sure Mr. Morix will already be in the gallery. Whatever happened is bound to come out sooner or later, whether we tell him ourselves or he hears about it through the trial. I'm not excited about it, but I guess that's just the way things worked out."

Prosecutor Wood still seemed a bit suspicious, but she didn't say anything else about the phone call. Instead, she left the room alongside KJ.

I looked to Lily and Yuri with a shake of my head. "I don't like this," I whispered. "Here's to hoping it doesn't go completely horrible when we get in there..."

"We won't know until we face it head on," Lily told me with a faint smile. I could see the weary concern in her blue eyes, but I said nothing.

Yuri took my hand into her right one, taking Lily's grasp with her left. "We're going to get out of this, alright?" she assured us.

We nodded, but we both knew that probably wasn't true.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quickly posting this before I skedaddle to watch a livestream.
> 
> I finished the Fates rewrite last night and I'm going to work on the POR lost supports for a little while before going to Conquest.
> 
> I should probably be typing the next chapter of Alitia right now but at the same time, let's not do that. Oops.
> 
> -Digital


	49. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 9

**September 1**

**Courtroom No. 6**

**1:15 PM**

**Lily Shield**

When we got into the courtroom, I was met with a variety of strange sights. I could see Chief Prosecutor Bespoke alongside Prosecutor Wood. I was halfway tempted to yell at him for making us look everywhere for him despite ending up right back where we started, but I kept my mouth shut. Prosecutor Wood looked just as anxious as ever at his side. I couldn't really help but pity her with how nervous she looked.

The TV was sitting up at the witness stand. I could still smell the blood staining the bottom, even if I couldn't see it. I wanted to get rid of the stench, but I got the feeling it would be important evidence. If it had to do with O's sudden disappearance, I was sure of it.

KJ was messing around with the TV from the back. After pressing a few buttons and flicking a few switches, noisy static was emitted from the device's speaker. I saw Deirdre jump from beside me, but she said nothing. KJ poked at the TV a little more before the noise stopped, making the entire courtroom breathe a collective sigh of relief. Finally, he smacked the palm of his hand against the top of the device.

Not long after, a picture came into focus. Judge Diaphan hadn't even announced that the trial had begun yet, but I got the feeling she hadn't even thought of that. Much like the rest of us, she was infatuated with the TV, a frown painted on her face as we waited for something else to appear on the screen.

It didn't take long for a silhouette to come into focus. It looked like a man, though I couldn't make out any details. I squinted to see if I could pick up on anything, but it seemed to be a lost cause.

A light flickered on somewhere above him a few seconds later.  _"There we are,"_  he grumbled under his breath. I heard the popping of knuckles as he came into view.

He had dark brown hair cut tight to his face. His eyes were dark as well, looking as if the irises had swallowed his pupils entirely. It was creepy enough to send a shiver running up and down my spine, but I said nothing.

"Who are you?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked intensely. I could see his hands clasped tightly into fists. I couldn't help but wonder where he had disappeared to during the recess, but I knew I wouldn't have the chance to ask such a question for quite some time. There were much more pressing matters at hand after all, so it would have to wait.

 _"Wouldn't you like to know?"_  the man scoffed, crossing his arms. I could see he was wearing dark clothing, or at the very least, a black shirt.  _"I don't know why you'd bother asking. I'm sure you already know exactly where this is going. Anybody with half a brain cell could figure it out."_

Deirdre let out a gasp, her hand flying to her mouth. "I recognize him!" she whispered. "He was the culprit back when Yuri was on trial for murder a few months ago! His name was... Ulysses Kyllar, if I recall correctly..."

"You're right!" Yuri exclaimed. "His hair looked way different then though... I guess he dyed it or something... Wait, wasn't one of the points in the trial that the white hair found at the scene didn't have any DNA on it? Like it was a wig?"

Deirdre nodded sternly. "I guess now we're seeing his true face... He was the first to announce himself as a member of Occisor tracking down Oracle... I'm assuming that's why he's surfaced again today," she murmured.

"He escaped after the trial, right?" I asked. "I guess it would make sense... A serial killer part of a group of known murderers wouldn't go down without a fight. I never would have expected to see someone like him back in action though... I was hoping he'd crawl under a rock and never come back out, if you know what I mean."

 _"I find that to be rather harsh, I'll have you know,"_  the man, Mr. Kyllar, said.  _"You would be best not to toy around with me, young one. I have much at my disposal to use against you. Anything you say can and will be used against you... Well, not exactly you... Just some people you care about."_

Yuri let out a sharp gasp. "I think I get it," she whispered. "The phone call where Chrysalis was with a man. It was him. She was being taken hostage by him at the time. I can't believe this..."

My heart skipped a beat at this revelation. "No way..." I murmured. "This can't be happening."

"It certainly seems like it's happening..." Chief Prosecutor Bespoke muttered with a shake of his head. His hands were clasped into even tighter fists than before. His knuckles looked ready to split open under the pressure. "What do you want from us? You must have some reason for contacting us out of the blue like this. I wouldn't have expected anything else from murderers like you."

 _"Calm your enmity, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. You know what's at stake here, don't you? Two years ago, you were at our mercy, and now is no different,"_ Mr. Kyllar told him with a shake of his head.  _"I ask that you simply close this case once and for all. We have achieved our mission. This case doesn't need to go on any longer. In fact, it would be in your best interest if we ended things now."_

"I'll never understand you," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke remarked. "How about you stop speaking in riddles and get to the point?"

 _"Certainly."_  The man stepped aside to show a young woman trapped on a chair. Ropes bound her arms and legs. Blood stained her hair, which was no longer the pristine white I had once known it to be. Her eyes were halfway open in exhaustion. She looked about ready to pass out at any moment.

My eyes went wide. "O," I murmured. "That's O! That's why we couldn't find her!"

"What do you want with an Interpol agent testifying about a murder trial?" Judge Diaphan asked. "Is this a confession of your guilt, taking her hostage this way?"

Mr. Kyllar chuckled and shrugged.  _"Take it however you like. There is one fact of which we are sure though. This girl here has plotted the downfall of_ _Occisor_ _for many years now. It is her fault we are in this situation to begin with. We needed the papers belonging to Y as soon as possible, and now that we have them... We know who Oracle is perfectly, and I'm sure even you simpletons_ _are able to_ _put the pieces together at this point. It's simple."_

I felt my jaw drop. "O is Oracle?!" I shouted. I felt a shiver run up my spine. I couldn't believe it... But at the same time, it made too much sense to deny. This would explain why Y stopped talking to O a few weeks before the crime. She knew O was Oracle, but she couldn't reveal the truth to the world yet, so she went silent and stopped talking to O as a way of avoiding danger. O didn't tell us the reasoning behind their sudden dispute because she knew it would put herself at risk. She knew what happened all along.

 _"O is what she's going by now, hm?"_  asked Mr. Kyllar with a shake of his head.  _"There are many names for her, I see... Granted, I knew this to begin with. Estelle Burns, O, Sakura Rai, Oracle... What a peculiar young woman you are. I don't know if I'll ever really understand you regardless of how much time we may spend together until your untimely demise. I somehow doubt you'd be willing to talk to us after we took you so suddenly."_

"Us?" I echoed. "Are the others there with you?"

Mr. Kyllar nodded. He stepped out of the view of the camera to show a few others. There were two other men and two women. I recognized most of them pretty easily. Tammy Ghunshotte, Masa Stabbin, a man who I assumed was Colin Asasm, and one other woman were simple to tell apart. I frowned at the last woman. Had she not made her public appearance yet or something?

 _"You all like to think you know us, but you couldn't be further from the truth,"_  Detective Ghunshotte laughed. I didn't even know if that was her real name given the way Occisor functioned, but I didn't have any other name to call them by, so I was going with what I knew for the time being. It would be easier for me that way.

"I know most of the people in your midst, but I don't think I've met the redheaded woman at your side yet," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke remarked. "Who might she be?"

I focused on the woman now that she had been brought up. She was wearing what appeared to be an Interpol shirt, and a nice one at that. Her pants were skin tight jeans covering every inch of her legs. She had black ankle boots on as well. Her hair was red and long, reaching all the way down to her waist. She had green eyes with the intensity of seven suns. She crossed her arms upon being addressed. Her gaze was terrifying when it locked with all of us.  _"Alexandra_ _Murdayre_ _,"_ the woman remarked simply. _"That's the name I would have used had anybody seen me at Interpol. Of course, since nobody asked any questions, I didn't need to speak a word of who I really was to anyone."_

"It seems she was the one who killed Y," Deirdre murmured. "I had my suspicions a moment ago, but this confirms it. She has a similar enough figure to Y to pass of as her if disguised at the time."

"In other words, we could easily end this trial right now," Judge Diaphan said, raising her gavel. "Give me one reason I shouldn't call this a confession and declare the defendant not guilty."

"They have a hostage, Your Honor. For the sake of her life, we can't be too hasty in our decision to end the trial," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke reminded her. "It could cost her everything, could it not?"

Judge Diaphan paused to consider his words. She switched the gavel back and forth between her hands. "I believe the needs of the defendant are crucial here," she remarked. "A not guilty verdict would be necessary for him to be freed. They confessed. We should take that confession and use it."

"But we can't catch them from here. They're off somewhere else. What's the point in declaring them guilty if we can't even see them fulfill their sentences? We need to stop and think about what all of this will mean for the future of this case," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke argued. "We can't let the hostage just die like this. It would be incredibly cruel."

 _"The hostage,"_ came the snort of Mr. Asasm. He shook his head and closed his eyes, pressing one hand to his forehead.  _"You all are very stupid, you know that? We don't just have one hostage here. We have Oracle, sure, but she isn't alone. We have about twelve others all held somewhere else in our hideout. All of them will die if you choose to defy us here. I highly doubt you want that, so it would be best for you to go along and comply to our demands. It's the best for you and the hostages."_

"I bet Chrysalis is being held with them too," Yuri hissed. "They knew they could use her against us and force us to back off the case... Plus, the voice we heard on the phone is sounding a lot more familiar now that we're hearing more. It was hard to hear earlier because of the static and such, but it's loud and clear now."

"Mr. Morix doesn't even know she's being held by them. This would be horrible way to find out..." I whispered with a shake of my head. "We can't take that risk. What do you want us to do?"

 _"We want you to break for investigation as soon as this call ends,"_  said Ms. Murdayre, tapping her fingers against her arm mindlessly.  _"After we're finished here, you will have one day to ponder your decision. You can declare the defendant guilty, which would result in the release of all the hostages. You can declare the defendant not guilty and be forced to feel the burden of a dozen deaths on your shoulders. The choice is ultimately yours. It matters not to us. We have our quarry either way."_

"So, you aren't going to release Oracle, even if we say the defendant is guilty," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke frowned.

 _"Why would we? She's been nothing but a thorn in our side for far too long. We can very easily get her out of the way now. We have no reason to release her. Besides, she'll only face conviction if we let her go. That's too light a punishment for standing up against_ _Occisor_ _,"_  Mr. Asasm smirked.  _"I'll leave it up to you. You can ponder it for quite some time. That's the point of the one-day grace period."_

"Who exactly do you have with you?" asked Prosecutor Wood. I could see her shaking. She looked ready to just collapse into Chief Prosecutor Bespoke's arms. And here I thought she couldn't get even more anxious, but I was very easily proven wrong, it seems...

"That's a good question," Deirdre agreed. "You haven't mentioned a thing about who you have with you. Would you be willing to give us any names?"

Mr. Kyllar turned the camera to face O once again. She was struggling against her bonds to no avail. She was looking weaker than before, which was saying a lot given how exhausted she looked already. Upon noticing she was on camera once again, she glanced up in fear. I felt a shiver go up my spine. I hadn't ever seen such a primal horror in anyone's eyes before, and it was terrifying.

 _"You can leave it to the imagination,"_ Mr. Kyllar shrugged.  _"Telling you who the hostages are would ruin the fun, wouldn't it? I can't let that happen. I need to make this as thrilling as possible, you see. We don't get to have much fun anymore, only getting one shining moment every few months... I might as well take advantage of it."_

It was all I could do to hold back a comment about him being a monster. I knew that would only anger him further. I clenched my fists tightly, even if I knew it wasn't going to help at all. I could only hope it would relieve my stress, even if only slightly.

"Is that all you wanted to do? You just wanted to brag you had hostages?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked, glaring daggers at the TV.

Detective Ghunshotte shook her head. " _As a matter of fact, no. We also came on here to make a certain someone confess to her crimes,"_  she explained. She turned to face O, pulling out a small knife from inside her jacket pocket. My eyes went wide upon seeing it, but I wasn't the only one who was surprised.

I glanced across the courtroom to see Prosecutor Wood staring at the knife in complete shock. She began to shake like a leaf before falling over sideways, unconscious immediately. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke let out a gasp before catching her. He gently set her on the ground, a protective sheen in his eyes. I got the feeling that if he could, he would have jumped through the TV screen to fight Detective Ghunshotte right then and there.

I looked back to the TV a few seconds later. Detective Ghunshotte pointed the knife at O's throat, making her gulp nervously.  _"Who are you, young lady?"_ she asked sternly.  _"I want the truth this time. I want a confession. Are you the Oracle of the Law?"_

O didn't look away from the knife when she spoke next.  _"Y-Yes..."_  she said softly.

 _"I can't hear you,"_ Detective Ghunshotte told her with a frown, moving the knife a bit closer.  _"Louder this time."_

 _"Yes!"_  O shouted, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.  _"I am Oracle!"_

 _"That's what I wanted to hear,"_ smirked Detective Ghunshotte. She took the knife back and tucked it away.  _"I'm glad to see you understand your situation here. If you're nice and avoid causing us trouble, maybe we'll let you say your goodbyes. It all depends on the way you act."_

 _"I-I understand,"_ came the soft and fearful whisper of O. I could see tears streaming silently down her face now. My heart was ready to break at seeing how horrified she was. I didn't know how much more of this I could stand to watch...

 _"I believe that's all we wanted to say,"_  came the voice of Mr. Asasm.  _"You know now what must be done. We expect your decision in a day. We'll contact you again using this TV at ten AM tomorrow when the second session of the trial is set to begin. We expect to hear your choice then. If not, we may just decide to execute the hostages regardless."_

 _"We'll be seeing you later,"_  Ms. Murdayre remarked, a small smirk playing at her lips. She walked closer to the camera recording her actions and raised one hand to it. A few seconds later, the screen of the TV reverted back to showing nothing but static. The noise was unpleasant, but my hands didn't go to my ears to stifle it. I was too distracted by my own thoughts to even think of doing that.

"I'll be ending the trial right here for now," declared Judge Diaphan. "Clearly it's time for us to stop this trial so we can think about what has just happened. It seems a considerable amount of thought must be put into a situation as delicate as this one. Are there any objections to breaking for our second period of investigation?"

Nobody from either side of the room spoke up. I saw Chief Prosecutor Bespoke lean down to pick up Prosecutor Wood. She was still out cold, her face pale. I figured the knife had scared her so much she passed out, but I couldn't say for sure without asking, not that I was going to. That was undoubtedly considered rude, and besides, we had many other things on our plate already, so that could wait.

"Is she going to be okay?" Yuri asked upon noticing Prosecutor Wood.

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded. "Of course. This happens sometimes. She's got a phobia of knives and other sharp objects. They make her pass out as soon as she lays eyes on them. The knife being pulled out by those assassins just triggered her fear is all. I'll take her home and make her rest until she's feeling better," he explained.

"I guess that would explain why she wasn't ever investigating the body during the case at the carnival," I heard Deirdre whisper. "A prosecutor falling unconscious upon seeing the body would be less than ideal, that's for sure..."

"If there are no objections to ending the trial here, I'm going to adjourn court. There's a lot to consider before tomorrow's sessions. Bailiffs, I'd like you to tell the local police department to help with identifying the hostages. I believe it will be vital to the case at hand to figure out who they are," Judge Diaphan declared.

KJ, who was still standing beside the TV, nodded in response. "I can have Detective Wattson get on the case. She's been back at Interpol's headquarters all day, but I'm sure she'd be happy to help us out in figuring out who they've taken captive," he told her.

Judge Diaphan closed her eyes as she picked up her gavel. "Good. The defense and prosecution are to think about what they would like to do regarding this case, though Chief Prosecutor Bespoke will ultimately have the final say on what is done. Be sure to discuss it before we come back here for tomorrow's session," she instructed. "If any other information can be gathered, please bring it back tomorrow as well. With that being said, court is adjourned."

Judge Diaphan slammed the gavel onto the podium before her with a shocking amount of authority. I could tell by that simple action she was stressed about this situation, not that I could really blame her. I didn't know what we were supposed to do now either, but I would have to figure it out sooner or later. O and Chryalis' lives depended on it.

**September 1**

**Defendant Lobby No. 6**

**1:45 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

We were silent until we got out into the defendant lobby. Yuri was the first one to speak. "I don't know what we're going to do," she admitted. "I mean, our witness being taken hostage is bad enough as it is, but we're also being forced to factor in a dozen hostages, one of whom is..."

"We need to tell Mr. Morix about this. He has to hear about this. I mean, they didn't say who any of the hostages were, so we're the only way he'll be able to find out," Lily pointed out. "I don't know where he is, but we need to find him for now."

"It might be best if you leave him be for now."

I was surprised to see Ms. Mercure standing behind us alongside a boy who seemed to be about her age. Her arms were crossed as she looked at us.

The boy didn't say anything, just watching with hardened eyes. He had tamed blonde hair that greatly contrasted with his brown eyes. He had black glasses on as well. He had a white shirt on under a black jumper sweater with black trousers and shoes. Judging by his presence here, he seemed to know Neptune pretty well.

"Ms. Mercure! What are you doing here?" asked Yuri. "I didn't realize you were here watching this trial. I never would have expected them to let you in."

"I was able to get clearance from a friend of mine," Ms. Mercure said bluntly. I got the feeling she was talking about the friend at her side, though I couldn't say that for sure without any proof. "Anyways, you should probably leave him be for the time being. You should head back to Interpol headquarters to look around some more. Aren't you supposed to talk to D about what she saw the day of the crime?"

"I suppose we are," I nodded. "We'll need to talk to him eventually though. Maybe we can head back after we've finished things up there."

"Just remember a few things when you do go to see him. Remember what he should and should not know about this case. It will end up being important in the long run," Ms. Mercure told us. "Some information belongs to you and you alone, so others shouldn't know the truth. That being said, remember things kept between the three of you when you speak to him. The truth awaits you by day's end."

I saw Lily blink in confusion. "What do you mean? What truth? What should he not know about?" she asked. "Can you speak clearly to us for a second?"

"I don't have time to spell it out to you. I have some business to attend to at the moment," Ms. Mercure replied. "Let's get going, X. She's waiting for us."

I was too perplexed by the conversation that had just taken place to chase after her when she left the room. I looked to Lily and Yuri in pure confusion, but they didn't have any explanations for it either. Yuri shook her head while Lily shrugged.

"Any ideas what that was about?" I finally managed to ask.

"If I did, I wouldn't be looking at her like she suddenly sprouted wings and horns," Yuri grumbled with a shake of her head. "I suppose she does have a point though. We can't be lingering around here for too long. Interpol is waiting for us to go and check out what's happening."

"Can we talk for a moment?"

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke appeared before us, his hands shoved roughly into his pockets. He was also accompanied by someone, though she wasn't unknown to all of us. She was carrying the limp Prosecutor Wood in her arms.

"Prosecutor Lin!" exclaimed Lily. "Were you in the gallery watching the trial?"

"Yep," the woman nodded. "Ghastly here let me in. I didn't think I was going to be doing much of anything, but I guess I'm going to be important to this case after all. Ghastly needs to go back to Interpol to investigate more like you guys do, so I'm going to take Niamh home and make sure she rests up for tomorrow. She can't investigate if she's unconscious, you know?"

"I guess you have a point there," Yuri agreed with a shrug. "What did you guys think about this case? If you ask me, it's just gotten infinitely messier, and I am not a fan of it at all."

"We need to make sure O and the other hostages remain safe," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said. "Oracle's been exposed to the world once again, which is already a recipe for disaster. We need to make sure she gets out of this alive though. The other hostages are important too. We can't just give up like that. There has to be another solution we can find. I'm not going to let them win so easily. If Occisor thinks they can get away with everything so simply, they've got another thing coming."

"How are we supposed to worm our ways out of this one though? I mean, they've got a dozen people held captive. If we don't comply to their demands, all of them will die. Plus, even if we declare M guilty, they could go on and kill the prisoners anyways. Either way, it seems like we'll be losing this battle," Lily muttered. "This is all so risky."

"We're going to get out of this. Nobody else will die. That much I can promise you," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke insisted. "Don't worry a bit. I'll make sure we get out of this without any issues."

"You're pretty confident," Lily commented. "I wish I could be like that. All that's running through my head are the many gruesome ways people could end up being killed..."

"What do you know about O? Did you have any idea she was going to end up being exposed as Oracle?" I asked.

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke shook his head. Prosecutor Lin did the same. "I didn't expect it at all," he said. "I thought she was just a regular Interpol agent up until they said otherwise."

I could tell he was lying, but I bit my tongue. Upon looking over at Lily, I saw she was staring at them with harsh and interrogative eyes. I assumed she was seeing more of those Locks she had mentioned before when we were talking about Mr. Morix being involved with Oracle. Regardless, I knew for sure he was lying. He had likely known exactly who O really was even before this case started. It would make sense since he was in the picture of likely accomplices of Oracle.

"I see," I nodded, not allowing anything to slip through my façade of innocence. "Well, thank you for talking to us, even if it wasn't for very long. I suppose we'll be seeing you down at the crime scene a little later on."

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded and headed towards the door, Prosecutor Lin following after him. I waited until they had completely disappeared from sight before speaking to my companions. "He was lying about not knowing the truth about O. He knew it all along, probably even before the case began."

"I must agree. I believe he had the truth in his head ages ago," Yuri affirmed. "Of course, it isn't like we have any proof. At this point, all we have at our disposal are theories, and those aren't exactly going to help us solve the perplexing case behind his knowledge."

"I guess his knowledge ties into what Ms. Mercure said earlier, even if she wasn't talking about Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. He shouldn't have known about Oracle, and yet, he still did. That has to be important," I went on.

"He had five Psyche-Locks," Lily cut in. "He certainly knew the truth, and it's one of his best-kept secrets. He isn't going to be revealing it to anyone unless we can force it out of him."

"He's definitely one of Oracle's accomplices then," I nodded.

"Prosecutor Lin may not have said anything, but her actions claimed she didn't know who O was. Psyche-Locks showed up on her too. The picture theory is even more plausible now," Lily went on. "Mr. Morix, Prosecutor Lin, and Chief Prosecutor Bespoke all have Psyche-Locks about Oracle. Venus and Cassidy were involved. Pieter Fury is gone, so we can't really factor in him since he's missing. Prosecutor Burke must know something as well. I'm sure Chrysalis does too."

"That means Prosecutor Burke could be Oracle," Yuri pointed out. "Wait... No, she was at the trial for Venus' murder as herself, so she couldn't have been Ms. Willows. Chrysalis is being held captive and hates Oracle, so that seems to be out of the picture too... But that's everyone. All of them have evidence against their being Oracle. What do we do now?"

"I don't know," I murmured bluntly. "I don't know." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much to say here other than wow we're really close to the end now.
> 
> -Digital


	50. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 10

**September 1**

**Morix Law Offices**

**2:30 PM**

**Lily Shield**

I hadn't been able to take my mind off what happened in the courtroom since we left the courthouse hours ago. My heart had calmed its constant pounding, which I was definitely thankful for, but I couldn't help my panic. I hadn't expected this case to be easy, given the general lack of evidence, but we ended up with a confession regardless. The problem was that the culprit was hiding at an unknown location with hostages. In other words, we were being blackmailed since they didn't cover their tracks well enough. It was awful, and that was putting it nicely.

"I'm sure we'll be able to get out of this okay," Yuri said with a nervous smile. I could tell she didn't mean it, but I didn't say anything. We weren't in the best state at the moment anyways, so any unnecessary tension would just put us off further, which was the last thing we needed.

"I have faith the police won't just let them get away with all we saw in there," Deirdre remarked. "I get the feeling they're already working on tracking down Occisor. If we can find them, we can do something about catching them and freeing the hostages. The TV they sent us must have a signal connecting to somewhere. Since that's the case, a tech genius like Q should be able to track where it came from. Finding them should make this much easier, and I don't think it will be too hard with him on our side."

"I guess that was the one hole in their plan. They did all this under the assumption we wouldn't be able to figure out where they're hiding," Yuri commented. "We can ask Q about it if we see him around. For now, let's think about what else we can do in the meantime."

"I think we should try and talk to Mr. Morix for now. Maybe he'll have an idea as to what we should pursue next. Interpol can wait a little while if you ask me. With the culprit having confessed, we can hold off on talking to D. I doubt she'll be able to give us much of any useful information with what we already know anyways," I said.

Deirdre nodded. "I haven't seen Mr. Morix around yet. Maybe he's up in his office. We should tell him about the phone call. He has a right to know. We haven't run into him since getting it, but I still think he should be the first one to hear the truth," she remarked. "The sooner we can get that out of our system, the sooner he can help us figure out the rest of the case, or at least what we should finish our day with."

"We don't have quite as much time to investigate today, so we'll need to take advantage of every single free moment we get," I reminded them. "Every second we spend not looking around, we're just wasting our time. I'm normally not a freak for order and organization, but we're going to need that to get through this mess of a case."

"Let's head up to Mr. Morix's office for now," Yuri cut in. She headed over to the elevator, gesturing for us to follow after her. She pressed the button for the correct floor once we were all inside.

We headed for Mr. Morix's office next. I knocked on the door once we were standing outside of it. "Mr. Morix?" I asked the door, hoping to sound as gentle as possible. He would need a bit of peace before hearing what we had to say.

There was no answer. I frowned and knocked again. "Mr. Morix?" I repeated.

A few seconds later, I heard footsteps. I looked to Deirdre and Yuri with a worried frown. I had never known Mr. Morix to be the type to ignore others. This was very out of character. He had been watching the trial with us, so maybe he was scared out of his mind by what he saw. I couldn't say for sure until we asked him though, so that was our next course of action.

When the door opened, Mr. Morix's left eye was all that could be seen. It was red and puffy, but he didn't say anything about it. "What?" he asked bluntly, his voice deadpan.

I couldn't help but exchange a shocked glance with Yuri. I hadn't ever heard him so angry before. Something was wrong. "We were just here to talk to you about the trial, if that's okay," I told him, trying to be as gentle and friendly as possible. "Are you alright?"

Mr. Morix nodded, but I heard the chains of Psyche-Locks popping into existence. Even if I couldn't see them due to the door, it was obvious they were there. I gulped upon hearing them. I wished I could see them. I needed to count them out if I was going to break the Locks and figure out what he was hiding.

"Would you be able to come out of there and talk to us for a moment?" Yuri asked with a frown. "We have a few questions is all. We need your help coming up with a plan of attack is all."

Mr. Morix hesitated before opening the door and coming outside. I could see his Psyche-Locks in full view now, and they scared me immediately.

There were five of them, each the color of obsidian. The golden keyholes shone in an almost threatening way. His dark expression matched the dreariness of the situation. I could feel my heart skip a beat. I hadn't expected that. The trial traumatized him, even if it wasn't going on for very long... How was that possible? What could have scared him that much?

"What is it you want help with?" Mr. Morix asked next. I could see he was holding something. It was falling out of his pocket. It was a black fingerless glove. I didn't know what he was doing with it though. I mean, it was obviously way too small for him. It only would have fit Yuri, as a matter of fact. Everybody else in the agency had hands too large for the tiny glove. I eyed it for a moment or two, but upon noticing he was staring at me, I forced my eyes to look away.

"We need your help figuring out where to go from here in our investigation. We were planning on talking to D, the agent who saw the culprit the day of the crime. We have a pretty strong understanding of what's going on right now, but any other details are appreciated," Deirdre told him.

Mr. Morix shoved the glove further into his pocket when he realized Yuri was staring at it. "I see... Well, you should definitely talk to D about what she saw. Aside from that, I'd ask Q for details regarding how to figure out where the assassins are hiding. I get the feeling he's already on it, but it wouldn't hurt," he said.

"We were already planning on doing those things, but I'll go on and add them to our to-do list," Yuri nodded. "Is there anything else? Whatever you say, I'm sure it will be helpful."

Mr. Morix pondered this for a moment. His eyes shut, which just showed how puffy and red they were. I hadn't been able to see quite so well before due to the darkness, but now, his exhaustion was in full view. I couldn't tell if he was just extremely tired or if something else was at play. I got the feeling tears were involved no matter what it was.

"Mr. Morix?" Deirdre asked a few moments later.

Mr. Morix snapped out of his daze and nodded. "Y-Yes, yes, case ideas," he murmured. "Search O's office. You need to see if there's anything in there of value. If she really is Oracle, which she confessed to... You should be able to look around in her office freely now. If you see anything that could further expose her, keep it for yourselves to look over later. I'm sure it will wind up being important. Bring that stuff back here afterwards. If it isn't too much of a bother, I'd like to see what you find as well. Of course, if you're too busy, that's fine. I'll look into it on my own time if you're unavailable..."

"No, we can do that," Yuri assured him. "We don't really have much to do today, if I'm being perfectly honest. I'm sure we'll have a spare moment to look around her office. If we find any evidence, we'll bring it back here and show it to you... Why are you so interested in it anyways?"

The Psyche-Locks appeared again, this time with more ferocity than before. "It's just because I'm investigating Oracle. The more I know about them, the better. Of course, this trial has already shown me quite a bit on the matter..." he whispered. "Long story short, I want to hear about whatever you can tell me regarding Oracle. Don't hold anything back. I'm sure I can find a purpose for even the most insignificant tidbits."

"Okay. We can come back and tell you everything," Deirdre nodded. "It's no issue. For now, though, is there anything else you want to tell us about the case? Anything will be helpful."

Mr. Morix looked down at the ground. "I-I don't think so... You have a pretty strong grip on what's happening. With a confession, all you really need to do is take the last few pieces of the puzzle and throw them together. D should give you a few of those last pieces. From there, it won't be difficult to figure out. I don't think you need my help for that," he told us. "Is that all you wanted?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but I was cut off by Yuri. "No, actually. I want to know what you've heard about Oracle. You must have something in mind, right? I mean, you've been investigating them for years now. I feel like we need information on them now more than ever, so if you can tell us anything, please say it. We need that information on our side," she pressed. "Can you do that?"

Mr. Morix paused before shaking his head. "I've already told you all I know. Oracle is a spy known for exposing corruption in the legal world. One of their aliases is Sakura Rai. Another one is Estelle Burns, last seen a year ago. Their accomplices are unknown. I don't know anybody involved in the project. It's overall insignificant to my life," he told us in a deadpan and blunt tone. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"Why are you upset?" Yuri asked next. "You've obviously been crying, and I want to know why, if that's okay. I don't like seeing you sad like this. We want to help you, so please don't shut us out now."

"Upset?" Mr. Morix echoed. "What makes you think I'm upset? I'm fine. Besides, even if I was upset, I'd be able to take care of it on my own. I wouldn't want to burden you with the inconsequential issues of my personal life. It's nothing you should be concerning yourself with in this case. If you don't mind, I have a few pieces of business to attend to."

With that said, Mr. Morix turned around and went back into his office. Following his swift retreat, he shut the door and locked it behind him. I gestured for the others to come with me away from the door.

However, as we walked away, I could hear a soft whisper from the other side of the wood. "Chrysalis... I'm sorry."

"Asking what was wrong really struck a nerve with him," Yuri muttered with a shake of her head. "I get the feeling it's a big secret why he's like this all of a sudden... I don't like it."

"We're going to find out who Oracle is before the end of the day," Deirdre declared. "After we investigate O's office, we'll have all the proof we need to confront him. I can't say I'm sure on who it is as of now, but it should become clear with a bit more evidence. Call it a gut instinct. I know that doesn't mean much in the legal world, but it's all we have now."

"He knows the truth," I said. "He had Psyche-Locks throughout the whole conversation. I can't imagine those would appear if he wasn't trying to hide something huge from us."

"If it has to do with Oracle, that would explain a lot. Seeing his coworker at the mercy of murderers like that would obviously freak him out. He's always been a bit anxious and awkward, so this doesn't really surprise me," Yuri remarked. "I've never seen him hide like this though. It's like the rest of the world doesn't matter to him anymore. I don't get it."

"Did you see the glove in his pocket as well?" Deirdre asked. "I don't think I've ever seen something like that before. It's much too small for him. I don't understand why it would be there.... Perhaps it has something to do with why he was in such a bad mood."

"I can't think of any other reason he'd be carrying it around in his pocket. He doesn't keep things in his pockets very often," Yuri frowned. "In fact, this is the only time I can think of him doing it in recent memory..."

"It must hold relevance then," I nodded firmly. "Maybe the truth will come to us while we're in O's office. If we can find proof regarding who Oracle, and by extension, O, really is, maybe we can crack the code behind his bad mood."

"We'll just have to see," Deirdre said. "I'm positive we'll find out who Oracle is like I said before. The pieces we need to complete the puzzle are bound to be found in O's office. We should head there immediately and talk to D. We can ask Q about tracking the assassins while we're there. After we go there, we can go to the detention center, talk to M and N, and return here to talk to Mr. Morix again. Maybe he'll open up a bit more then."

"I can't be the only one who found it odd he asked us to bring back any evidence we find. Even if he's an investigator, it strikes me as weird," I frowned. "I think he wants it since he's an accomplice of Oracle and is trying to clear their tracks. If their real identity got out, it would be a problem for both him and Oracle since they know each other and work together."

"It's fishy," Yuri sighed. "I guess we can ask him more about it if we get the evidence. He'll probably be more willing to talk if we have that with us."

"As much as I hate to say it, we might need to hold the evidence over his head for a little bit," I murmured. "If we find something he wants, maybe we can bribe him into talking to us about what he's been hiding by telling him we'll hand it over after he tells the truth. I'm not normally supportive of actions like this, but I want to make sure he opens up to us. Whatever is bothering him is clearly tearing him apart at the seams. The sooner he talks about it, the better."

"Then let's get down there to ask about it. I agree it would be for the best if we got as much evidence as possible to talk to him with," Deirdre nodded.

"I think we should hold off on it for a little while," Yuri cut in. "The detention center might not be open still after we're finished up at Interpol. I think we should drop by there to speak with M and N about what happened in court today. That way, we can still have taken care of that if it closes earlier than anticipated."

"I must say, you have a bit of a point there," I agreed. "We can ask M and N what they think about the situation with O. They'll probably have more to say about it than any of us. They knew her much more personally, after all... I'm a bit nervous to see how they respond though. They'll probably be a bit angry to think about how they were deceived by a spy for so long."

"O was still treating them better than the agents from the technology branch who were selling them out though," Yuri pointed out. "I mean, think about it. Those agents were selling information to Occisor. That's the only way they would have been able to get inside to kill the victim. It would have required them getting their hands on important information hidden away from the world otherwise. Occisor could have easily done so much more damage than just killing one agent and taking the files on her desk, and that already is despicable."

"I guess you have a point," Deirdre admitted. "Let's go and see them. We can drop by a drive-through restaurant on the way there. We haven't eaten anything since breakfast. Even if we still feel sick from the trial, we need a little something to hold us over for the rest of the day. Does that sound alright?"

"Let's get to it," Yuri nodded. "I didn't realize how hungry I was until you just brought it up... I guess I really was distracted by all that's been happening... Then again, it's sort of hard to focus on food after seeing that."

I felt my stomach rumble its agreement. "No more standing around here to talk. We have business to attend to," I remarked, placing one hand on my torso.

**September 1**

**Detention Center**

**3:00 PM**

**Yuri Rinko**

The detention center was pretty empty when we arrived. After Deirdre asked for M, we stood around in silence. I glanced at the walls and floor. I didn't have much else to do, so I had to entertain myself somehow.

M appeared on the other side of the glass not long after. N came walking in at the same time, almost as if he had been cued. "What are you doing here?" M asked, looking past us at N.

"I was worried about you. I figured you would want to see me for a little bit," N answered. "Plus, I feel like we need to discuss what happened in court today... I don't know what to say about it, but I want to hear your thoughts."

"We actually came here to ask you about the same thing," Lily said. "Do you think we could chat with you for a little while as well? We'll get out of your hair soon since we have to get to Interpol, but a brief conversation won't hurt, right?"

M nodded. "Alright. Let's get right into it. I think we all know the elephant in the room. O is Oracle. She was presumed to be a regular agent for so long, but in truth, she's been snooping a lot more."

"What do you know about her? When did she come to work at Interpol?" Deirdre questioned.

"It was roughly two years ago. Shortly after she appeared, the previous head of Interpol was exposed to the press for corruption. That was when I was brought in to lead the company," M explained. "I always thought she was a bit strange, but I didn't question it. She could be spacey, but she was good at investigating. I placed my trust in her to look into the Oracle case when it was announced to the world Oracle existed. I'm sure you remember that interview with Jackson Blocker two years ago, yes?"

"We've heard about it, yeah," I affirmed. "You know, you putting her on the Oracle case probably helped her out. I bet that's why it took Y so long to figure out who she was. If O was on the case with her, she could cover her tracks. Y probably went off on her own to investigate after realizing something was wrong. That was about when O and Y stopped talking. It was risky for Y to talk to her and risk slipping up about how she knew something. I hadn't been thinking about it before, but it makes a lot of sense looking back on it..."

"I can't believe we didn't see this before," Lily admitted. "Looking back, it seems so obvious... The world was practically screaming the truth at it, but we were too focused on other things to realize the truth. I guess that's how most twist reveals go, though. It feels obvious afterwards, even if it was rough to figure out to begin with."

"O was there before you started working at Interpol... Hm... I can't help but wonder if she had any accomplices at her side. I would imagine it would be hard to get into Interpol without anybody at her side," Deirdre commented. I resisted the urge to say she did have accomplices, namely those in the photo that liked to continuously pop up during our cases. I didn't want to spill information like that when M and N would undoubtedly use it against her.

"I don't know how she got in either, but I'm almost glad she did," N admitted. "Think about it. If she wasn't there, the agents leaking information would have been able to reveal even larger secrets to the world. Countless agents could have been killed if that stuff got out. She was able to help us catch it in the earlier stages to prevent that. You can't help but agree that was helpful." 

"I've never really been the biggest fan of Oracle, but that situation definitely changed my mind for the better. Maybe she isn't as big a villain as some people make her out to be," M said. "I'm thankful she was able to help us find the traitorous agents in Q's division. Y wouldn't have been the only victim if she hadn't gotten involved."

"Speaking of Y, we all know why she stopped talking to O a few weeks ago. After she came to you about knowing who Oracle was, she and O completely stopped interacting. O claimed she didn't know what happened, but it seems pretty obvious now she was lying. Y knew who she was and stayed away for her own safety... Of course, that didn't really help much in the long run. Y ended up dying regardless and O was taken hostage by Occisor. This is all one big mess," I sighed with a shake of my head. "I wish it wasn't like this... If we had figured this out on our own before the kidnapping, we could have talked to O. I bet she would have been able to tell us a lot about the Oracle project and those involved. It would depend on if she was willing, but with enough pressing, we could have at least gotten something out of her."

"On the matter of O, is there anything else you know about her?" Lily questioned.

"Not really. Unless it was strictly necessary, she tended to stay on her own. She spent a lot of time in her office doing investigations that way. She was good at deductive reasoning, almost on par with one of our best investigative agents, D. She was almost like a completely different person when she started trying to figure out the truth behind a case. I suppose that should have been a large hint she was hiding her true nature behind a mask," M told us.

"O always acted a bit spacey too. I'm sure you noticed that from talking to her though. She gets a glassy look in her eyes and stares off into nothingness for a little while. When she comes back, she's either even more distracted than before or has figured something out to do with a case. Even if we wanted her to do a bit more investigating from time to time, she didn't want to. She preferred her time alone in her office," N said next. "Also, I didn't realize this was relevant until now, but she's only a part-time agent. She doesn't work the full time slot for most Interpol agents. She was a part-time before M and I took charge, and she's technically still one now... Of course, I highly doubt she'll still be working for us after this."

"If you get your hands on O, what are you going to do with her? Is she set to be arrested, interrogated, or something else?" Lily asked.

"We aren't entirely sure... While she may be painted as a thief of information by the general public, she never did anything to take our evidence. Besides, I'm pretty sure the reporter who first declared her habits were unjust ended up being outed for corruption a few weeks later... It's not like I really keep up with the news anyways. Unless it's important to Interpol, I mostly avoid it," M went on.

"We might have to arrest her for potential thievery though... It depends on what course of action we think would be best after we see her," N shrugged. "I think it's a shame we'll probably lose a strong agent to this mess... I almost wish we hadn't found out the truth about her. As bad as that sounds, it upsets me a little..."

"It depends on what she does afterwards as well," M continued. "Oracle works in mysterious ways. After the case where Estelle Burns was exposed, she went missing and hasn't been seen since. I would imagine the same will happen with O after this should we let her get away... In other words, this is going to be a bit of a mess, and that's putting it lightly."

"Who do you think would even be able to help them escape? If Oracle managed to get into Interpol alone, they wouldn't have any help. However, if one of their accomplices is inside, that could cause an issue," I frowned.

M shrugged. "I don't know. It's going to be hard to weed out anybody else. O managed to skate under the radar for two years. If anybody was working with her, it could be hard to find them as well... Oracle helped us in finding the agents who were corrupted, but without her or somebody else to reveal the truth, any other traitors will be difficult to figure out, and that's probably putting it lightly... I don't like any of this."

"I suppose you can think about it after the fact. With the way things are going now, you might not even have to worry about it," Lily said with a shake of her head. "At the very least, that's what Occisor wants us to believe. They've got us at an ultimatum. I'm sure we'll find a way out of this. They won't win this time. Every other time we've found one of their agents, they've gotten away. That's about to change. We won't let them escape this time."

"I'm glad you're so hopeful in this situation. I can't help but feel a bit less excited. Occisor is a band of trained killers. From what I can tell, Oracle has been hunting them for two years now with no success. If that's the case, what's to say they won't get away this time? They know a lot about assassination. If we anger them, they can kill the hostages they have at their disposal. Sure, they would lose their leverage over us, but it might be worth it to them to secure their escape route," M frowned. "It's not easy to predict their movements in that respect."

"I don't know how we're going to pull this off either, but I have faith it'll be fine. We won't let them get away with this. For Chrysalis' sake, we will prevail," Lily declared, placing her hands on her hips. "She's going to be fine. We're going to get her out of there and make sure things are okay."

"Who are you talking about?" N asked.

"Chrysalis is a girl who works at our agency. A few days ago, she left on a trip to visit Germany. We called her yesterday while she was being kidnapped by Occisor. I suspect they took her specifically to use as a bargaining chip over us," I explained. "But we're going to get her out of there and everything will be okay!"

"I'm glad you're so confident," N remarked. "Well, I think we're about finished talking to you for now. Is there anything else you wanted to ask us about?"

Deirdre shook her head. "No, I don't think so," she said. "Thank you for talking to us. We really do appreciate it."

"You're heading to Interpol to look around, yes?" M asked.

Lily nodded. "Yeah, we are. We have to tie up a few loose ends. We need to talk to D and Q in particular about what they saw and how to free the hostages."

"I suppose we'll leave you to that then," N told us. "In case we don't see you before tomorrow, good luck in your investigation. We'll be looking forward to what you do."

"Try and stay out of trouble until tomorrow. We can't have any other hostages being taken. That would make this case even messier than it already is," I smiled as Lily, Deirdre, and I walked out. "Bye!"

Once we got outside, we started for the car. "Interpol awaits," was all Deirdre said as we hopped inside and started the long drive to Interpol. My thoughts were racing with ideas of what would happen the next day, but I couldn't say for sure which one would come to pass.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I typed like 20 pages on the side today. Over the past week, I've typed over 35000 words. I wish I had kept an exact number, but it's okay. I typed a lot and none of it was homework. Nice.
> 
> I decided to start typing away for one of the projects I've been planning for a long time. I'm not sure if I'm going to post it on here yet, but we'll have to see. I did a 13 page glossary for it, so I guess I'm in too deep now.
> 
> But that doesn't matter. Take a second chapter today as an act of kindness.
> 
> -Digital


	51. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 11

**September 1**

**Interpol Headquarters**

**3:45 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

After getting to Interpol, we started for the office of D. Luckily, Lily still had the map we had received the day before, so we could use that to find our way around. Even if it had only been yesterday, it felt like it was worlds away. The trial had likely caused that. It had been long and eventful, which seemed to be the recipe for making time feel strange.

When we finally got to D's office, I watched Lily double check the map in her hands. "This should be the right place," she said. "Who wants to knock?"

Yuri shrugged and took a step forward. She brushed her knuckles up against the door a few times before placing her hands behind her back. She rocked back and forth on her feet as we waited for an answer.

The door opened a few seconds later to show a woman standing on the other side. She was relatively tall, practically towering over me. She was pale and had black glasses framing her purple eyes. Her hair was a lengthy lavender shade. There was a braid on one side tied with a black ribbon. She had a dark purple jacket with a white blouse underneath it. She had a brown tie on as well. She had knee-high black boots and a purple skirt reaching her knees. Black gloves covered her hands. They loosely reminded me of the glove Mr. Morix had been hiding away in his pocket. 

"Who might you be?" the woman asked, her eyes narrowing. I would be lying if I said she didn't frighten me a little. It was rare for me to be scared, but her gaze was one of the most piercing I had ever seen. 

"My name is Deirdre Brigit. This is Lily Shield and Yuri Rinko. We're the lawyers on the case of M," I cut in, bowing my head slightly. "We were told you saw something the day of the crime. You are D, correct?"

The woman nodded. "I am," she answered. "Were you sent by D to question me?"

"He didn't specifically tell us to speak with you, but he said it would be a good idea," Lily explained. "If that makes any sense, that is..."

D hesitated before opening the door to her office wider. "Come in," she said under her breath, gesturing for us to follow her. I shared a brief glance with Lily and Yuri before following her. 

D's office was easily the cleanest out of the three we had seen. Y's had been a mess, O's had been clean enough, and D's was so organized it was scary. Nothing was even an inch out of place. I had always been organized this way, so I was used to it, but Yuri seemed to be in awe. Lily was a bit shocked as well, but I had suspected this. D had seemed like the clean type to me from the moment I laid eyes upon her. The way she presented herself seemed to make it rather obvious.

D took her place behind her desk and gestured for us to sit on the perfectly clean couch sitting up against the wall. She began shifting through a few papers with an air of elegance as she spoke. "What is it you want to know?" she asked quietly. She picked up a pen and began to write a few things down on a free page of notebook paper.

"We heard in court today you were unable to attend the trial due to another mission," I began. "Is this true?"

D nodded. "Yes, you heard right," she said. "I was out in the field for a brief period today. It was under the request of M. He and N had me set to look into something today a few weeks ago. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said it was alright if I missed the first segment of the trial so long as I gave him a statement. I'm available now and for tomorrow though, so if it's needed, I can always go testify in the next session of court."

"Speaking of court, did you hear about what took place in the trial?" Yuri asked. 

D pulled another paper out from a drawer of her desk. She opened a book and continued to write. "I did. Q reported it to me soon after he had returned. O is Oracle and is currently being held hostage by a group of assassins. That's what you mean, yes?" she questioned.

"You got it," Lily nodded. "We were hoping to ask you about what you saw the day of the crime as well as anything you know about O. We're trying to learn as much as we can about both subjects. Even if we got a confession in court, we need a few more pieces to fully pull everything together."

D tapped her fingers mindlessly against her desk, shutting her eyes to think for a moment. When she was finished, she began to write again. "The day of the crime, I was out in the public working area. While everybody has their own office, we also have cubicles in a more public space so we can talk more easily. I was out there talking with Q about a few things for my case, the one I missed the trial for. Y walked by, but she was acting strangely. Q's report said it was because the killer was dressed up as her," D said.

"Exactly. She went upstairs to her office twice but never came down on any lower floor. One time, she went up for real. The other time, the killer was dressed up as her and went upstairs to ambush her in her office and steal her research," I explained. "We were wondering if you noticed anything particularly off about the second Y."

"She was a bit taller than normal, now that I think on it. Her hair was also a few shades brighter in color. I didn't say anything about it at the time, thinking I was just mistaken. In the end, it was her murderer," D murmured. "It's as unexpected as it is tragic."

"I doubt you speaking up about the killer would have helped. This is a group of trained assassins. I would imagine they had a backup plan for if their mole was discovered. It seems out of character for them to not plan ahead that way," Yuri remarked with a shrug. "Don't feel bad about not saying anything. The death of Y isn't on your shoulders or anything."

D paused for a few seconds before erasing whatever she had written. "Is there anything else?" she asked. It didn't take a genius to see she didn't want to think about Y. Even if Yuri had told her not to blame herself, she probably felt bad for not reporting the small details that could have saved her life. She didn't know, so how could she have changed it?

However, I said none of this, instead merely answering her question. "What do you know about O?" I asked. "We're trying to learn as much about her as we can. Anything you might know about her motivations or actions will be helpful."

D closed her eyes and shook her head. "We didn't talk much. She preferred to be alone unless Y was involved. They were like two peas in a very strange pod. She was in her office when not talking with her partner. They stopped talking a few weeks ago, but O claimed she didn't get it. Y figured out who Oracle was and reported such to M at about the same time. I see now that those two things were involved."

"They most certainly were... Do you know anything else?" Lily asked. 

"I chose to avoid her as she chose to avoid me. When we did speak, she would get anxious and try to leave the room early. I never questioned it. Some people have mentioned I can be a bit intimidating. I figured that was the case and brushed it off. Maybe she was scared I would figure her out and call her bluffed identity. I can't say for sure. I likely won't get the chance to ask her now anyways. She's going to either die or be arrested at this point," D remarked. "I didn't anticipate her sudden treachery. I knew about Oracle sending letters to M about corruption, but I didn't expect it to come from inside. She was one of the last people I would have doubted. She was always quiet and spacey. It was as if she couldn't focus."

"In truth, she's a mastermind behind all of this. She figured out who the traitors were, exposed them, and still managed to keep her own identity safe until Y put the pieces together on her own. In fact, she probably would still be safe if not for those agents revealing to Occisor Y had figured it out," Yuri said. "If Y was able to stay quiet about the truth for so long, I doubt she would have exposed the truth to the world."

"In other words, those assassins are bad news," I sighed. "I don't really know what we're going to do about O now though. So far, all we've really found out is that she's a spacey loner who prefers to stay in her office over interacting with others. I don't think that's going to help us much in talking with him."

I looked back over at D. She was messing with her papers still. Unlike Prosecutor Wood, she seemed to know what she was doing and have a method to her madness. She rolled her chair over to the computer sitting on her desk and began to type. "I don't know how much else I'll be able to tell you about the case. Aside from what I already mentioned, I don't know much about her. We never interacted much, as I'm sure you noticed. It would be a good idea to talk to somebody who she's a bit closer with," D told us.

"Who was she close with?" Lily asked. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to speak to them a little bit."

"I don't know. We never spoke much. Somebody around here must have an idea of who she interacted with on a regular basis though. I can't imagine she would be able to avoid everybody at all times. Since she infiltrated Interpol as a spy, she must have somebody working alongside her. If she doesn't, how would she have gotten in to begin with? Interpol is difficult to get into. I doubt she could have done it on her own," D said next. "Maybe you could ask Q to dig something up."

"He's the technology expert here, right?" Yuri questioned. 

D nodded. "He has all the information you could ever want on any of our agents. I highly doubt he saw this coming, which puts him in the same category as the rest of us, but it wouldn't hurt to try, I suppose," she went on. "He came to work here due to his incredible skills with hacking, investigating, and gathering information. He has a file on every agent working here, I believe. He may not be willing to show you everything at first though... He's always been that way, I suppose. If you tell him I sent you, I'm sure he'll gladly open up a little more."

"Are you two close friends?" I asked. 

D paused for a moment, shrugging. She returned to her typing a few seconds later. "You could say that. We've been working together for a long time. We've grown to be something like partners in crime. When I take on a case, he's always my backup, even if he isn't a field agent. I know he doesn't like talking to new people much, or any people, for that matter. He's fine with me, but he isn't fond of many others, I'm afraid."

"He came off as a bit of a nervous mess during court today, so that doesn't really surprise me," Yuri remarked. "Where do you think he would be now?"

"Probably in his office. He runs the technology branch, so he'll be on the designated floor for technology workers. If I recall correctly, that's floor seven," D answered. "He's probably there with X. I heard X was going to be investigating with him today."

"X?" I echoed. 

"He's another technology agent working under Q. Unlike most of his employees however, he did not turn traitor, instead sticking loyally with the company. He's a bit strange, often keeping to himself and doing most of his investigating alone. He seems overly obsessed with assassins and serial killers, even if he's a technology agent and technically wouldn't need to think about them much," D explained. "I heard he was working on tracking where the TV came from to figure out where O is being hidden with the other hostages."

"We'll be sure to talk to him after we're finished up with Q," Lily said. "I'm sure he'll have something to tell us if he's trying to figure out where O is."

"Thank you for talking to us, D," I smiled with a slight bow of my head. "If it's alright with you, we're going to go talk to Q now."

D nodded. "Alright. Remember to tell him I sent you," she told us. She didn't even look up from her computer, reminding me of how little eye contact we had made with her since first meeting her. 

"We will," Yuri grinned, heading for the door. "We'll see you tomorrow. Well, maybe. Assuming we need your testimony, we'll see you tomorrow. If not... I guess you should have a nice life." 

D didn't say or do anything in response to that. She continued to type silently as we walked out of the room. I shut the door behind us before turning to look at my companions. 

"Are all Interpol agents like that? Loners, I mean," Yuri frowned. "Think about it. M seems like a loner. D doesn't like talking to anybody. Q sounds like he downright hates people. O hid in her office to pretend she wasn't a spy sneaking in to find huge secrets. N seems to be the only exception with how clingy he is around M, but he's still a nervous wreck in his own right."

"This is a job where you can't really trust anyone, I suppose," Lily shrugged. "I guess everybody is a little on edge now. Between the technology agents being exposed as traitors and O being Oracle, I can imagine they would be a bit dark and unhappy around newcomers."

"O... Oracle... Gosh, that seems so obvious now!" Yuri groaned. "I don't know if Interpol agents get to choose their letters, but if they do, that was so obvious!"

"If it was so obvious, why didn't anybody figure it out?" Lily asked teasingly. 

Yuri rolled her eyes. "You get what I mean though."

"We can talk about this later if we want. For now, let's go and find Q. I hope he's willing to talk to us when we tell him D sent us," I cut in. "She said he would be on the seventh floor. We can talk to him before seeing about this X character. If he's the one looking into where O is being kept, we should ask him about it. He'll know more about it than anybody else at Interpol, so we should gather as much information from him as we can."

"Okay. In that case, let's make for the elevator," Lily agreed. She pulled out the map once again and searched the paper for the elevator mapped out on the floor. When she finally found it, she led us to the elevator and up to the seventh floor.

When we got there, we were met with a narrow hallway. At the end of the hallway, there was a singular bland door. Lily tucked away the map as she spoke. "This should be the place," she said. "Apparently, the other side of the door is where the technology agents work. It's structured like the public working space D mentioned before with open cubicles from what I can tell on the map. There's a large desk marked as Q's off in the corner. I suppose we can head over there since that's probably where he's most likely to be."

Yuri dashed up to the door and opened it a few seconds later. Once the door had been opened, we were instantly met with darkness and flashing lights. I glanced around, my eyes growing wider. I hadn't ever seen so many computers in one place at once. Not even a computer store could compare, which was saying a lot.

There were windows in the room, but none of them were open. I couldn't even count the number of cubicles, each one with a computer. Most of them had people inside silently typing away at their keyboards. A few were noticeably empty, and I assumed that was because of the agents who had turned traitor. I couldn't see anyone of particular note in the cubicles, but the desk at the back of the room was a different story. 

Sitting in front of a large projector screen was Q. His desk was much larger than the others due to his position as branch leader. He was also working away at his computer silently. I saw him push up his glasses twice in the time it took me, Yuri, and Lily to cross the room and arrive at his side. He was so focused on his work that it took Lily gently tapping him on the shoulder to get him to notice us. "Excuse me?" she asked softly.

Q jumped up in shock at seeing her. "H-Hello," he said after regaining his composure. "You're the lawyers from today, yes?" He began to type again, his gaze darting between the screen and our little group.

"We are," I confirmed. "We have a few questions to ask you, if that's alright."

Q paused, looking at us, before shaking his head. "Didn't I answer everything you wanted during the trial earlier?" he questioned. 

"We have a few questions about O and the reveal of her identity," Lily told him. "Would you be okay with talking to us for a little while?"

"I'm afraid I'm horribly busy right now. Could you come back tomorrow?" Q asked. 

"We need your answers now, I'm afraid," I said. "D sent us to talk to you, actually. She told us to tell you that."

Q's typing paused. He looked up and leaned back in his chair, making it creak a little bit. "Alright. I'll answer whatever questions you have," he grumbled. I knew he wasn't happy about it, but I was still glad he had agreed to it at all.

"He sure does like D, huh?" Yuri whispered with a shake of her head. "Anyways, what do you know about O? D said you have files on all the agents working here, so would it be too much to ask if we wanted to see O's file?"

Q continued typing away. I noticed his typing was much louder and more authoritative than D's had been. "Yeah, I have a file on O. I don't know how much use it will be though. It's just basic stuff like her name, age, and the cases she's been on. I'm sure you already have those valuable pieces of information anyways. I bet they were in the court file or something."

"You really don't have anything else?" Yuri asked in shock. "I would have expected you to have at least a little something we didn't know. Of course, I doubt this will help us much anyways. Finding out anything new about O at this point may or may not be very effective towards our case. She's in a bit of a rough spot right now, so rough that she might not even get out of it alive... As dark of a thought as it is, it's true."

"I suppose I could show you when she joined the company," Q murmured. "It was two years ago in December. She immediately took on the Oracle case a month later alongside Y when it was assigned to them. That happened a week after the public conference where Oracle was revealed to exist. She's taken on a few side cases since then, but the Oracle case has been her main focus for years."

"I remember looking at the case for the GC-9 incident during the murder case on the lake," Lily commented. "If she joined in December, that would be after the murder Occisor mentioned a few months back. It would align with the supposed motive they proposed."

"In other words, there were facts pointing to O's real identity all along, but nobody caught onto it," Yuri said with a shake of her head. "It's so obvious looking back on it! How did we not see it?"

"It's not like it matters much at this point. She won't be allowed to join Interpol again after this, assuming she even lives through it. Her presence would be too great a risk. Anybody inside the building with her could die if somebody wanted her dead. We'd all become collateral damage. I don't want that. M doesn't want that either. It'll cause more harm than good. Besides, I doubt she would want to stick around anyways. It would be too risky for her. She could be found out and killed. It's too dangerous for everyone involved, so I doubt anybody would even want to bother," Q told us. "I think that's about it for O though. What else could you possibly want to know?"

I paused for a moment before shrugging. "I guess not much... I do have one other question for you though. I heard an agent underneath you by the name of X was trying to figure out where she is currently being held hostage. Would you be able to point us to him?" I asked. 

Q paused for a moment before looking around. "I don't know... Hm... Ah, there he is," he said. He pointed to a cubicle on the other side of the room. A blonde boy was sitting inside of it. A girl with long brown hair was standing at his side. 

"Why did he decide to search for her?" Yuri questioned. 

"I don't know. When he came in for work after the trial today, he seemed pretty intent on finding the truth. He also managed to get that friend of his inside. Not many people who want to visit Interpol can actually get in, much less the day they want to look around. As weird as it is though, I don't want to ask any questions. She's been helping him track down O ever since getting here. They haven't spoken to anyone on the matter. I guess it's just personal business between the two of them and O," Q answered. 

"Wait... That girl... Do you know her name?" Lily asked with a small frown. 

"No, but I can find out," Q said. He typed away at his computer for a few seconds before a flash of recognition appeared on his face. "Her name is Neptune Mercure apparently. She's a private investigator who's been living with X for the past few months. Don't ask me why. X and I don't talk much, so I wouldn't know."

"Why would Neptune be here?" Yuri murmured. "I would have expected her to be off doing something else. She's never shown any hints of having connections to Interpol before..."

"When we saw her at the courthouse, she was with a young man, come to think of it," I recalled. "I can't tell from this distance, but maybe the boy she was with was X. I can't remember if she referred to him as such or not, but it's a possibility."

"You can go over and talk to him if you want. He'll be able to tell you a lot more about the situation than I ever could. I have a few last-minute reports to finish from D's outing this morning. It'll take me a while to get those finished, so I can't spend my time trying to track down an agent who may as well be as good as dead," Q told us. 

"How is it that he can even track her down though? I would have expected it to be nearly impossible," I remarked with a frown. 

"The video coming from Occisor was not recorded ahead of time. In other words, it was live feed. Live video content has to come from somewhere. Thanks to the technological developments of Interpol, it's possible to figure out where in the world the feed is coming from. X has always been good at things like that, so he's working on it. I don't think anyone aside from his friend is helping him out, and I doubt she'll even be of much help since she doesn't know the way the technology works," Q explained. "It won't be easy either. Occisor likely wasn't stupid enough to just let the feed come through without some sort of potential protection. I don't know how they would have managed that without a technology expert though."

"From what I can tell, they definitely have one though. I mean, they were able to hack into the power system the day of the crime to put the entire building in the dark," Yuri piped in. "But that could present a problem... Think about it like this. If a technology agent from Interpol sold information regarding how to hack the power system, who's to say information on how to keep live feed from being trackable also wasn't sold? If X is really going to try and figure out where O is and that information was sold, he really has his work cut out for him."

"It's hard enough to figure out as it is, but if the enemy did get their hands on that information, it could prove to be even more problematic than before," Q agreed. "I don't know how he's planning on pulling it off, but he's never been the type to give up. His determination can even turn into a bane instead of a boon at times."

"I do wonder though... Why aren't any other agents from Interpol trying to figure out where O is? Why is it just X working towards finding her?" Lily asked. 

"It's company policy, I'm afraid. The company itself won't try and pursue any agents in dangerous situations if it could bring harm to the majority of our employees. If anybody else wants to try and learn the truth on their own time though, that's up to them. The rest of us can simply go about our business on our own," Q replied. 

"But there are other hostages being held with O," Yuri reminded him. 

"The local police are the ones in charge of getting the hostages back. It has nothing to do with Interpol at the end of the day, so we don't need to snoop. In fact, I'm sure M would prefer it if we held back at this point, not that any of us can hear that for sure. M is out of commission at the detention center. Normally, N would take over for him, but he's with M and is also away from the office. It's a miracle we aren't all running around like headless chickens at this point," Q muttered. "The point is that it doesn't impact us, so we don't need to get involved."

"As harsh as that sounds, I guess I wouldn't have expected anything else," Yuri admitted with a sigh. "Anyways, thanks for talking to us, Q."

"I have one more question before we go off and talk to X. I remember that Occisor mentioned during the trial that one of O's other names was Sakura Rai. Do you know the relevance of that name?" Lily questioned. 

"I usually wouldn't be bringing this up, but I guess it doesn't matter now that she's been exposed anyways. Sakura Rai is what we assumed was O's real name. Of course, that was just an alias to keep us from learning the truth. Out of curiosity, I did a little bit of digging on her. She has no known relatives, which would make sense given the nature of an alias. If the identity was fake, not having any relatives would make sense. There aren't any other government files elsewhere about her either. The information about her just popped into existence around two years ago," Q replied. 

"That was the same situation from earlier this year," I heard Lily mutter. Q didn't seem to notice (either that or he simply didn't care), which was probably for the best. I didn't want to have to explain our deductions about Shayla Willows to him.

"With that, I think we'll be on our way," I said. "Thanks again for talking to us, Q."

He grunted in response and continued to type as I began to walk away, Yuri and Lily at my heels. I looked over my shoulder at them with a frown. "It seems as if we've learned a lot about O just from that one conversation. Even if Q said he didn't know much, that conversation helped a lot," I told them.

"Maybe X will be able to tell us even more," Yuri commented. "I hope so. Anything else we can learn will probably help convince Mr. Morix to open up to us. I get the feeling we're on the cusp of learning the full truth behind his relation to Oracle."

"In that case, let's not waste any more time and go see him," Lily suggested. We shared a curt nod in response and began our journey across the room to speak with X.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're only five chapters behind at this point, so we're getting closer to being completely caught up. On my other sites, everything up to part sixteen is up. I'm so glad we're finally near the end of this daily spam thing. I can't wait to be able to leave you guys on cliffhangers too.
> 
> -Digital


	52. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 12

**September 1**

**Interpol Headquarters**

**3:15 PM**

**Yuri Rinko**

It didn't take us long to arrive at X's desk across the room. Neither he nor Neptune noticed we were there until I tapped the latter on the shoulder. "Um... Hello?" I asked. 

She jumped when she noticed I was there. "You scared me!" she cried out with a shake of her head. "Sorry. What is it that you need?"

"We were going to ask what you knew about O. We heard rumors you and an agent named X were trying to figure out where she was," Deirdre explained. 

Neptune nudged her friend gently. "X, looks like you're going to have to talk to people," she told him.

X had been typing silently up until this point. He still didn't seem to notice we were there. "What?" he asked. When he looked at me, he let out a sigh. "I see. What questions do you have? And can we make it quick? I have other business to attend to."

"Yes, of course. We'll try to not take up too much of your time," Lily said. "How are you going to find O?"

"Tracking the signal coming from the TV," X told us in a clipped tone. His fingers moved to the mouse to slide it across its pad for a moment. "It's normally simple, but the assassins are making things infinitely harder. I can't believe they got their hands on information like this... No normal group would be able to hide without getting something from the inside."

I looked to Neptune with a frown. "I can only understand about half of what he's saying. Do you know how to speak a bit more clearly?" I questioned. 

Neptune let out a laugh, but it was forced and brittle. "I suppose. He's managed to figure out where their signal is coming from, or at least a general area. When we get a precise location, we're going in."

"You're going to help her too? Is that even allowed?" Lily frowned. 

"Technically, no. However, I have an agent from Interpol on my side, so that has to count for something. I'm sure I can get past a few barriers by bringing that up. It's crucial that I find Oracle anyways. I can't have her winding up in the wrong hands, I'm afraid," Neptune explained. "It's a long story. Is there anything else you want to ask us about? Have you figured it out yet?"

"Figured what out?" I asked. 

"So, he hasn't told you... I suppose I should have seen this coming... I would have anticipated him to bring this up sooner, but I guess the cases with his associates have made him a bit cagey... That's so like him, the anxious little..." Neptune muttered under her breath. "Okay, so I want you to work on gathering as much information as possible about Oracle. How much do you know about her? I feel like it's almost time... God, with the way I'm phrasing this, it sounds like the apocalypse..."

"I'm afraid I haven't followed you in about two minutes," I frowned. "I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I need you to speak a bit more clearly. Can you do that?"

Neptune sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry about that... Hm... How do I even go about this? What do you know about Oracle? That's a good place to start," she remarked.

"Oracle is a spy with various aliases. She first appeared in the city about two years ago. Her supposed motive has to do with the GC-9 murder case, which also took place two years ago. She was first revealed to exist in a public interview due to Jackson Blocker slipping up on the matter. Ever since then, she's been making appearances all over the place to expose corruption in various legal fields. The previous chief prosecutor and head of Interpol are two such victims to exposure," Lily explained. "The only aliases we've heard about for sure as of now are Estelle Burns and Sakura Rai, or O, as I'm sure most people know her."

I didn't comment on her choice to refrain from mentioning what we thought of Shayla Willows. As much as I liked Neptune, I wasn't sure if bringing that up was really the best idea.

"Who do you know is involved then?" Neptune asked next. 

"Venus and Cassidy Rinko are known to have been associates before their untimely demises earlier this year. As for others, we have suspicions, but not much that's concrete," Deirdre replied. 

"Has Cotoli Morix told you anything?" Neptune pressed on. 

"Not much. He's been investigating Oracle for quite some time, but he hasn't said much aside from that, if that's what you're looking for," I shrugged. "You seem to know a lot on the matter. Would you mind opening up to us about it?"

"I can't do that. Besides, even if I did know the truth, it's too risky. Interpol is at risk of being completely compromised. We don't know for sure if O was able to expose all the agents selling information. I'd rather not end up on a hit list again, thank you very much," Neptune huffed. "Anyways, I'm going to have to leave this to you to figure out on your own. I have a few other things to do before tomorrow's trial, if that's alright with you."

"You know who Oracle is, but you won't tell us?" Lily frowned. "Come on, you can trust us. I defended you from a murder charge. Can you please talk to us for a moment? Please?"

Neptune shook her head. "I'm afraid not. It's a long story. She should have been able to tell you when she was ready, but this mess has forced her out of hiding too soon. I don't want to go against her wishes further by revealing the truth now. It's not going to turn out well. Just know that the truth awaits you at Morix Law Offices. You'll be able to hear the full story behind the one who knows the Oracle project best. Well, second best. The first person you'd really want to hear from would be Oracle herself, but she's a bit preoccupied at the moment. He's another strong option though."

"Stop speaking in riddles, would you?!" I snapped. "This is serious! Can you tell us what you mean? It would make things a lot easier on all of us!"

"That isn't an option. Besides, how are your deductive skills going to grow if you're just having me force feed you all you need to figure out? It's best if you realize the truth on your own merits. I'm on your side though. Don't get this twisted. Even if I can't say much due to the position I'm in, I want you to hear the truth. I want you to figure out who Oracle is. You three have a right to know above most others. She's been hiding under your nose far longer than you know," Neptune went on. "Go and check out O's office. I want you to get whatever you need from there. Interpol's agents have already gone through the area. They didn't find anything of value, but you have more information than they do. Even if they couldn't find anything they thought would help, there's bound to be something you need in there."

"I don't understand why you're doing this. You want us to find out, but you won't tell us. You want the truth to come out, but you refuse to directly state how it will be revealed. Is this just a thing with you? Is hiding things your superpower?" I asked with a frown. 

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. That's for you to decide. It's up to you. All that you do from this point out is your choice," Neptune said. 

"Have you ever made contact with O outside of Interpol's walls?" Deirdre questioned, her voice much calmer than mine had been.

Neptune paused at that and placed one hand on her chin. "Hm... Now you're asking the right questions. I won't be able to talk for long since O is waiting for help, but I can give you a few more minutes. Yes, I have met with O outside of Interpol. It was shortly after the case at the lake. I gave a message to one of your coworkers, Chrysalis, I believe. I said that my home was a safe place if Oracle ever needed. I told her she could come by as well. Not long after, O appeared to talk to me. I didn't give her much information directly, but she seemed to glean what she needed from our various conversations," Neptune explained. 

"How did O even hear about that?" Lily asked. 

"I knew that delivering my message to Chrysalis would get it around. She's quiet and secretive, but Oracle would hear it from her. Oracle is someone both all of you know well. Chrysalis knows her too. Even if she doesn't look it, she's a lot sharper than you'd expect. She knew to pass the message on, and in the end, it worked. I got to talk to O, and she learned what she was supposed to from our meeting," Neptune continued. 

"What was she supposed to learn?" Deirdre frowned. 

"That's something I shouldn't be getting into now. There are much more important topics to be thinking of, after all. She was able to pick up on what I wanted her to know through my speech patterns. She figured out that I knew the truth as well as a few other things. That information was meant for her though. I won't be leaking it to outside sources," Neptune shrugged. "You'll have to gather it on your own time if you want to hear it. Of course, you could always press it out of her yourself..."

"You seem to have it in your head we'll be seeing her again after this. O, that is," I commented. 

"That's because you will. I know what's going to happen over the course of the next day or so. X and I are going to find O. She is going to find a way to elude our grasp because that's what Oracle always does. She's going to return to one of her other aliases. She's going to hide right under your nose again. Of course, if you can figure out the truth, you can ask her about it. I can't say for sure if she'll open up, but she tends to do that to people she trusts. If you can prove you're trustworthy, she'll talk. I know the way she operates," Neptune said next. 

"I have one more question, if that's alright," Deirdre cut in. 

"Go right ahead," Neptune nodded, shutting her eyes. 

"Who are you?" Deirdre asked. 

Neptune paused for a moment before shrugging. "Who am I? What an odd question... Who are we? As people, what are we? Just souls meant to interact on this plane of existence? It's a peculiar way of thinking, I must say. I will tell you that I am Neptune, and that is that. Any further questions on my identity will bear no fruit. I am Neptune, just as I have always been."

I saw Lily grasp at her magatama from the corner of my eye. I frowned. I could tell she was lying somewhere in there, but I couldn't quite pick out where.

"However, if you're looking for a more direct answer... I am a friend to Oracle. I am her companion, the one who urged her on when no others would. I am the one she turned to for help, the one she looked to above nearly all others. I am the one who was cast aside by fate to live alone. I am one lonely soul crying out softly for another who does not see me. I am Neptune, and that is that," Neptune continued to say. 

I frowned. "I wouldn't call that a direct answer, you know," I snarked under my breath. 

"Nor does it need to be. In other circumstances, we never would have crossed paths. We don't need to talk much on our interaction now or in the future. Just know that I am a friend of Oracle's, just as you are friends to her. It may seem peculiar now, but it will make much more sense when the day of execution is upon us," Neptune replied. "Now, it's time for you to leave me and look into O's office. I have other business to attend to. O can't exactly save herself in her current position."

With that final statement, Neptune turned away and focused on the computer X was typing at. I went to speak to her again, but Deirdre took my hand and shook her head. She led Lily and I away from the young woman and out into the hallway outside the technology branch. 

"What in the world was that about?" I asked with a frown. "She was speaking in riddles practically that whole time. I don't have even the slightest clue what she was trying to get across with all that. It made no sense."

"I don't think we're meant to," Deirdre murmured. "Maybe she was letting out some pent-up anger in that conversation. I can't say for sure. However, I do know that I could hear much sadness, rage, and frustration behind her voice. It was overpowering, and that's putting it lightly. It almost sounded like she was... Grieving."

"I don't get that girl. She's got so many secrets and doesn't tell anybody about any of them. I mean, I get that is kind of the point of having a secret to begin with, but it still bugs me a little, you know?" I said with a shrug. "I don't know. We should probably leave it be for now. Thinking about it will only cause us more issues. She has a point in saying we should go and check out O's office. It's bound to have some evidence regarding her true identity. It's like Neptune said. Even if the agents sweeping the place didn't find anything of value, we might find something useful in there. We know more than they do on the matter."

"In that case, let's not waste more time. O's office awaits," Lily agreed with a curt nod. "But first... I know we shouldn't be thinking about Neptune because of the case at hand, but there is one thing I want to mention... She had Psyche-Locks but not just any Locks. They were black. That's the color associated with a traumatizing secret."

"Whatever Neptune was venting to us about, it's clearly hurt her a lot," Deirdre murmured. "I don't think anyone aside from maybe Oracle will be able to get her to talk about it though. It really isn't good on her mental state."

"I guess we can leave it be for now. We can ask Oracle to talk to her about it after we meet them," I suggested. 

"Sounds good. Let's do it," Lily smiled. 

We were silent the whole way to O's office. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't stop thinking about Neptune. She seemed to practically explode at us, which was odd for her. She wasn't the type to talk openly about everything, but I could still tell something was wrong. Maybe it was the stress of what happened with O. The two of them were clearly friends, even if their relationship was complicated. That would weigh down on anyone. I couldn't blame her for getting upset over it.

I didn't understand the way she worded a few things though. The way she was talking, it sounded like O didn't even entirely trust her, which was more than a little weird considering how close Neptune painted them to be. Her whole rant about who she really was just complicated things further. It just made my head hurt. 

We got to O's office before I realized what had happened. That was so like me. I tended to lose all my focus when thinking about other things. 

"It's open," Deirdre remarked, pushing the door forwards to let us inside. "I would have expected them to lock it up."

"I'm not complaining. Let's just check the place out before anybody kicks us out," Lily suggested. 

O's office looked pretty similar to the way it had back when we were in here for the first time the day before. It felt like an eternity away now despite being just over a twenty-four hours in the past. I shook off the thought as Deirdre reached for a drawer on O's desk. "Hm... There's not much to look at in here," she murmured.

Lily opened yet another drawer to find an object we all knew well. "It's a picture," she murmured, turning it over so the image was facing us. She let out a gasp. "It's the same one we keep seeing."

I peered over her shoulder to see that she was right. It was the picture of Mr. Morix, Chrysalis, Prosecutor Lin, you get the idea. However, there was something odd about it...

"The image is distorted... It looks like there are tear stains on it," Lily frowned. "I guess we can keep this for now. I don't know how else it will help us out, but I'm sure we can use it for something..."

"Hm... I wonder if there's anything else..." I whispered, glancing around the room. My gaze eventually fell onto a bag in the corner. "Is that a suitcase?"

"It certainly looks that way," Deirdre said. She walked over to the suitcase and laid it flat on the ground. We all crowded around it as she unzipped the main pocket. "There are clothes in here. It looks like enough to last a week or so..."

"There are a few papers under them too," I remarked, reaching beneath the clothing to pull out a folder. There were pieces of paper sticking out the top. 

When I opened the folder, I frowned at what I saw. There was a picture sitting on top. It took me a second to recognize who it was. "This... This is Pieter Fury!" I exclaimed. "But how is that possible? He hasn't been seen in nearly two years! Why would he randomly be in this folder?"

"I don't know," Lily admitted. "It seems like O was trying to find him though. I mean, since O is Oracle, that isn't surprising. They were associates before he went missing..."

"I guess O finally figured out where he went," Deirdre commented. "Can I see that folder for a moment?"

I nodded and passed it off to her. She began to skim the pages, her eyes growing progressively wider as the seconds crawled on. I frowned. "What is it?" I asked.

"It says here... Pieter Fury has been located. He's currently in Germany, though his exact location is unknown. I guess O was planning on going to see him," Deirdre muttered. "I don't see anything else of note in here though."

"Our clues right now are a tearstained photo and a file on Pieter Fury. I don't think we're really any closer to figuring out who Oracle really was," I sighed. "We'll have to look around a bit more."

"Let's dig a bit deeper into the bag then," Lily suggested.

Deirdre nodded and shoved her hand as far into the front pocket as it would go. When she pulled her arm away, there was a small object in her hand. Her fingers unfurled to show a golden locket. It was dull in color, but it had its own sort of charm. "Hm... A locket," Deirdre whispered.

"I wonder if there's anything in it," I mused. 

Deirdre's nails pulled at the edge of the locket. After a brief struggle, it opened to show a pair of pictures. I recognized one of them, but the other was unfamiliar. It was of a boy, likely a few years younger than me, with brown hair and a white scarf. He was smiling brightly with childish innocence. I could see half a face in the picture as well, though it was cut off by the border of the locket. It was of a girl with red hair and violet eyes. 

The first picture was of Venus, which made me frown. "O had a locket with a picture of Venus in it," I said, unsure of what to do with this information. "And some other kid apparently. I don't know who this could be, but it seems like they were pretty important to O."

"I don't get it either. I mean, I guess O and Venus would be pretty close since they worked together for two years, but why go so far as to keep her picture in a locket? It seems a bit over the top, if you want my opinion, that is," Lily cut in. "This other boy looks rather young... If you ask me, he must be around twelve..."

"Let's look around more in the bag. I'm sure there's something else in here we can use," I told them.

Deirdre continued to open a few other compartments of the bag. She didn't seem to find much of anything interesting. I could see her set a few things, such as a bag of hairpieces, off to the side. There was a bag with a few other travel items as well. Lily went through those, but judging by the frown attached to her lips, she didn't see anything of note. I looked back and forth between her and Deirdre as they found new things, though none of them seemed like anything out of the ordinary.

Deirdre finally let out a gasp when she found something else. It was a letter. Once again, it was wrinkled from what looked like teardrops. There was a name written on the back, but I couldn't read it. The water on the envelope had smeared the name beyond recognition. However, it seemed as if we didn't need to look at the name, which was a positive. 

Deirdre opened the envelope to show a letter inside. I read it aloud to Lily, since she was still looking into the other smaller contents of the suitcase. "'I hope you can forgive me for leaving this way. Don't forget about me. I'll be back for you one day. Until then, live on happily. I love you incredibly. Thank you for the days we shared. Love, Pieter,'" I finished. "This letter must be from Pieter Fury!"

"This just shows that O was probably going to see him..." Deirdre murmured. "Unfortunately, I'm not seeing much of anything so far that could show exactly who O is. I'm a bit concerned we won't find what we need."

"Neptune seemed like she was sure we'd figure it out... I guess we can trust her on that and keep looking around," I suggested. I headed for the desk next and began to sift through its contents. 

"There's another piece of paper in this bag," Lily commented. "It looks like there's a glasses case in this little makeup bag, but next to it is a crumpled piece of paper..."

Lily pulled out the paper in question and unfolded it. "This is all the basic information about O... It has things like birthday, age, gender, all that... I don't know why O would have this since she should know all this stuff by heart," she frowned.

"Of course, she probably has a bunch of other aliases. I guess she would need a file to keep them all straight," I pointed out. "I don't see how that's important though. Anybody could need that. It doesn't point to any specific person being Oracle. I suppose you could say that applies to nearly every single piece of evidence we've found so far. If we're going to find the truth, or rather, press it out of Mr. Morix, we're going to need something that points to one person in particular."

"That's a lot easier said than done. We've already looked through nearly every pocket of this suitcase, and we still haven't found anything that points to anyone. Maybe we can convince him to open up to us and just tell us outright. The chances might be slim, but at this point, it's about as likely as us finding what we need to figure it out on our own," Lily grumbled with a shake of her head. "All of this could easily apply to many people. Why doesn't anything here have a name on it? Something else personal would be helpful as well."

"In all fairness, we came close to finding a name. If that envelope's name hadn't been all blurred out, we would have seen it easily. I suspect it was originally written in pencil like the letter itself was. That would also explain how easily it was blurred out by water. I somehow doubt it was completely intentional, but it's still a bit irritating, you know?" I said with a frown. "Oh well. Let's keep looking around."

"I don't think there's much of anything of note in here," Deirdre remarked a few moments later. "I've gone through each pocket of the bag at this point. There's nothing else I can see helping us. We can take what we've gotten so far and head back to the agency once we've finished everything else up."

"I think we should just go on and take the whole suitcase with us, if you want the truth," Lily told us. "I'm sure Mr. Morix will want it. It seems like he found something in this office to be important, even without coming in here. I wonder if he was thinking about the suitcase."

"We'll probably have to sneak it out then. I don't want to get in trouble for snatching it," I said. "I bet you're right about him wanting the suitcase though. It's where all our important evidence came from too. It'll be easier to carry this stuff around in a bag anyways."

"Hm... Let me think for a moment... I can't help but wonder if maybe Neptune hid any hints regarding Oracle in her speech. I mean, the last one sounded like complete nonsense, but maybe she said something earlier on today that could be of assistance," Lily remarked, starting to pack the suitcase up once again.

"I must wonder the same... Ah!" Deirdre suddenly exclaimed. "Ms. Mercure told us to be careful of what we knew and what others should and should not know. If my calculations are correct, there's something Mr. Morix mentioned knowing earlier that he shouldn't be aware of. I can't think of how he would have been able to figure it out on his own without us knowing about it. Maybe she knew we would realize the truth."

"There is no we here. You're the only one who knows what you're talking about, Deirdre. Can you explain what you mean?" Lily asked. "With how mysterious you're being, you're starting to remind me of Neptune."

"I don't want to get ahead of myself. I think we should hold off on discussing it until we can talk to him about it. We can't get our hopes up too high before we know for sure if I'm right. For now, let's take the suitcase out to the car with us. I think we're done here. What we have should fit in with my theory if I'm correct. I must agree with what you two were saying before though. There isn't much here to point to any specific person. We'll need to go off our own theories if we're going to learn the truth," Deirdre continued to say.

"You really aren't making this easy on us, Deirdre," I sighed. "Seriously, why not just tell us what you're thinking? If you're wrong, you're wrong. So what? We need to hear all that we possibly can about this situation."

"This is a delicate matter, Yuri. Besides, I don't want to risk anybody overhearing us. Interpol could still have somebody on the inside reporting to Occisor. It would be dangerous if I said something where someone could overhear us. You'll have to trust me on this for just a little while. Can you do that?" Deirdre asked.

I hesitated before letting out a huff. "Fine. I trust you. Just promise you won't end up getting us into trouble with this theory of yours. Also, you have to explain everything while we're talking to Mr. Morix, if not before then," I told her firmly.

"Deal," Deirdre replied. 

"The bag is all packed up again," Lily cut in, zipping the main pocket shut. "I think we're ready to head out now. We didn't get the chance to talk to Chief Prosecutor Bespoke about what we're going to do tomorrow though."

"In all fairness, we didn't see him at all today. I feel like that's an understandable reason for not speaking to him," I pointed out.

"Let's focus on the task at hand for now. We need to talk to Mr. Morix about what we've learned here today. It may not seem like much, but this combined with what we heard him say earlier should persuade him to reveal the truth. He won't be able to hide away from us for much longer," Deirdre said. "He slipped up earlier, and in the end, that's going to permanently cast aside the secret he's been keeping from us all this time."

I held back another bitter comment about how she refused to tell us what was going on and headed for the door. I turned over my shoulder to give the office one final glance before we left it behind. It was time to face the truth regarding Oracle, whether we were ready for it or not. My stomach was churning into a knot, but I ignored it. There were much more important things at hand, and I couldn't afford to get distracted now. 

After all, the truth we had been searching for was finally upon us.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to post this quickly before going to a choir concert. Rip.
> 
> -Digital


	53. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 13

**September 1**

**Morix Law Offices**

**4:30 PM**

**Lily Shield**

When we finally got back to the agency, I could hardly contain my excitement. We were finally going to find out the truth behind this whole mess. I was as nervous as I was excited. Deirdre had already seemingly figured it out, so maybe this would go a bit faster than it would have otherwise. I wasn't entirely sure, but I got the feeling I would find out the truth soon.

The three of us walked into the agency. Deirdre gestured for us to follow her to the elevator. We got in silently. I wanted to say something to pierce the quiet, but I couldn't think of anything. I kept my mouth shut as the elevator hummed. 

We walked out of the elevator and into the lobby of the floor with Mr. Morix's office. I watched as Deirdre knocked on his door. "Mr. Morix?" she asked. "Are you in there?"

There was a bit of shuffling from the other side. I heard the door unlock shortly before Mr. Morix peered out. Only one eye was visible, so he hadn't changed at all since we had seen him earlier on in the day. "Hello," he said. "What is it you need?"

"Can you come out here? We need to talk to you," I explained. 

Mr. Morix hesitated and then walked out of the room. He shut the door behind him. I noticed the glove from before was still hanging out of his pocket. "What is it you need?" Mr. Morix questioned. He shoved his hands into his pockets. 

Somehow, he looked even worse than he had earlier. His eyes were puffy and red. His expression was tired. I could see tear stains on his cheeks, though he was trying to hide them. Mr. Morix was actively avoiding all eye contact, as if he found the floor to be the most interesting thing in the world all of a sudden.

"I want to know who you're working with," Deirdre told him firmly. "I want to know who Oracle is."

"Oracle? I don't know who you're talking about," frowned Mr. Morix. I brushed my hand over my Magatama. I saw the Psyche-Locks clang into place once again. I had seen it coming, but I still felt a frown appear on my face. The obsidian black was threatening in a way, and I hated it somewhere deep inside of me. 

"We know you're involved with Oracle. You may have avoided being exposed thus far, but I'll go on and tell you now that you can't escape it any longer. I know who you've been working with," Deirdre pressed. "You've been cooperating with Prosecutor Lin, Prosecutor Burke, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, Venus, Cassidy, Pieter Fury, and Oracle themselves. You slipped up earlier. You know something now you shouldn't know, and it told me exactly who Oracle really is behind the mask."

"I don't know what you're getting at," Mr. Morix said bluntly. "Can you speak plainly for a moment?"

"I wasn't sure of it until you slipped up earlier, but Oracle... Oracle is Chrysalis, right?" Deirdre asked.

My eyes went as wide as saucers. "What?! Oracle can't be... You can't be serious. You've heard her talk about Oracle, right? Chrysalis hates her. She blames Oracle for the deaths of Venus and Cassidy. How can that be her?" I questioned. "You can't..."

"You whispered her name earlier. I'd assume that's because you're worried about her. You know that she's in danger. The three of us were the only ones who know that though. We heard her being abducted over a phone call. However, you knew exactly how much danger she was in without us telling you about it. I didn't realize the implications about it until about an hour ago. Occisor didn't tell us who the hostages were, so you couldn't have learned Chrysalis was a hostage on your own either," Deirdre continued. "You would only know if you had seen her with your own eyes, but the only hostage shown was O, or Oracle, as we have recently learned."

Mr. Morix frowned deeply. "You... You really think I'm involved with Oracle? You sure are determined to prove this. For the record, I was merely worried about Chrysalis because she's still stuck at the airport. I'm worried about her. She may be with a group, but she still gets anxious and has been struggling. I don't see how my concern can show that I'm an accomplice to a spy. You're jumping to conclusions, if you want my personal opinion," he told us with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Why are you still trying to keep this from us? You know we've figured out the truth. Why not tell us?" Yuri asked, though I could tell she was still surprised at what Deirdre was proposing.

"I want more evidence, not just assumptions based on my behavior. Proof is everything in court. You should know that well. I was the one who taught you such. If you wish to pull anything from me, you need to provide evidence of your claims. If you can't, it's just a gamble, and a risky one at that. People won't want to open up to you if you can't back up your words. That's how the universe works," Mr. Morix continued. He seemed to have regained his composure. He was standing up tall, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Then let's go over the facts, shall we?" Deirdre asked. "Lily, you were working with him back during the first case when I wasn't. You know more about that than I do."

"You mean the murder of Venus Rinko?" I questioned, to which Deirdre nodded. "Yeah, sure... I think I can do that. I remember Shayla Willows was a witness. I learned from my brother after the fact that she was likely Oracle under a disguise. I kept it in my back pocket, but I didn't focus on it too much for a while... Thinking back on it though... Chrysalis and Venus were pretty close friends before she died, right? If that's the case, why wouldn't she be at the trial? Wouldn't she want to know who was responsible for the murder of her best friend?"

"However, Chrysalis was nowhere to be seen, which is a problem... Of course, this problem dissipates when you think of Chrysalis as Oracle. If she was Shayla Willows, she would have been at the trial after all. It would explain why Chrysalis herself wasn't present," Deirdre continued. "In other words, that strange behavior from Chrysalis can only be explained if she was Shayla Willows."

"Chrysalis didn't show up because she wasn't feeling up to it. She was feeling sick at the time. Venus' death made her feel awful. She barely had the energy to move in her sadness. Chrysalis told me she was planning on going to the trial, but I told her not to come. I made sure she stayed at home to rest for the day. I told her how the trial went after the fact to quell her curiosity," Mr. Morix told us. "I think that's natural. She was feeling sick. It makes sense as to why she wasn't there."

"If it's really that convenient, then tell us where Chrysalis was the day of the murder trial of Jackson Blocker a year ago. She wasn't there for that one either, was she?" Deirdre asked. "Why would she be absent? Does she have an alibi for when Estelle Burns was exposed as Oracle?"

"I'm pretty sure she was at rehearsal for a musical she was in at the time. She simply couldn't make it. It's not like it's a big deal anyways. It's not like I drag her to every case I take on. Yuri and Venus switch around too," Mr. Morix told us. "I don't think you can really use that to accuse Chrysalis of being Oracle. Do you have anything more concrete than that? I want the actual evidence here, Deirdre. Anything less than that must be dismissed."

"We've noticed that all people who seem to have ties with Oracle were in a photo taken two years ago. All the people I listed before are in the picture, and all of them have a relationship with Oracle. You can't really deny that, can you? It's too much of a coincidence for all of them to be involved and be in the picture. It doesn't seem possible," Deirdre continued. 

"It could still be a coincidence. Besides, that seems to be just a theory as well. Just because Venus and Cassidy were involved doesn't mean the rest of us are. You've merely been theorizing that the rest of us have to do with Oracle. I need something physical before I'll follow you here. Do you have anything on you that can be used to show I'm involved? Do you have anything to show that my younger sister is the Oracle so many people are seeking?" Mr. Morix questioned.

"We found quite a bit in O's office we can bring up," Yuri pointed out. "I mean, we have the photo, the locket, the papers on Pieter Fury... I mean, we have the entire suitcase out in the car we can use to our advantage."

Mr. Morix's eyes went wide in surprise. "An entire suitcase?" he echoed. "Where in the world did you find that?"

"It was in the corner of O's office. We dug through it and found a few things inside that point to who Oracle is. All of it is incriminating of your younger sister, whether you choose to believe it or not," Deirdre explained. "Yuri, could you go out and grab it for us? We should show him what we found. Having the physical evidence will make it easier."

Yuri nodded and saluted. Deirdre tossed Yuri her keys, prompting the young girl to dash out of the room. Deirdre and I turned to Mr. Morix once she was out of view. "You know, there's also the matter of the supposed motive proposed by Occisor a few months ago. They suspected it was because of the GC-9 incident that took place at the local Sparx Factory two years ago. If you ask me, Chrysalis could very easily have that as a motive. She knew the victim and would want justice for her death since the killers went unpunished. You can't deny the possibility of that motive," Deirdre went on firmly. "The facts go against any claims you may produce."

"She was one of many people who cared deeply for my mother before her passing. Most other workers at the factory wanted justice for her death as well. All of them must be suspects as well by that logic, yes?" Mr. Morix asked with a raise of his eyebrow. When we didn't reply, he continued. "That's what I thought. Can you give me something conclusive now? At this point, your only hope seems to be the suitcase, but you can't place all your bets on one piece of evidence. That's not a strong trait for a lawyer to develop."

I found myself biting my lip to keep from having an outburst. He seemed to have an explanation for everything. Had he really been thinking that far ahead? I knew he was perceptive and smart, but I hadn't anticipated this much preparation... We would need to find a way to work around it, even if I had no idea how we would pull that off. 

"I'm back!" Yuri said with a chirp. She entered the room, rolling the suitcase behind her. She was panting from running to the car and back. She plopped the suitcase onto the floor and sat beside it. Yuri unzipped it and began to dig through its contents.

"Where are the papers?" I asked, starting to look into the suitcase as well. After a few seconds of searching, my fingers seized a small stack of pages. I yanked them out with a grin. "Found them!"

"What are those?" Mr. Morix questioned with a frown. "How do they tie into what we were talking about?"

"These papers give details on Pieter Fury. They mention he's currently located somewhere in Germany, though no specific address is given. He was found in the picture we believe shows the associates of Oracle, so he must be relevant," I explained. "Plus, it was in the suitcase belonging to O. That ties him into it pretty seamlessly, wouldn't you agree?"

Mr. Morix shrugged. "I suppose... It's not like you can ask him about it. He's not here anymore. Nobody can ask him anything about Oracle these days," he told us. "What do you think those papers have to do with this conversation?"

"Oracle was trying to find him. She was searching for her former coworker," Deirdre said. "So long as we're talking about Oracle, we might as well mention him. He's involved, after all."

"What makes you so sure he's got ties to Oracle? Is it the picture that has you convinced he's involved?" Mr. Morix asked. "The picture is just a theory. Venus and Cassidy can't prove without a shadow of a doubt that everyone in the picture is an associate working with Oracle. It's nothing concrete."

"Why would O be carrying it if it wasn't involved?" Yuri pointed out. 

"I need something solid. I've told you so many times that you need evidence in order to prove my brother and I are involved. This is a theory. Give me real proof," Mr. Morix pressed.

"We thought everything fit in perfectly while we were at O's office, but since he's pointed out the photo is just a theory, we can't tie it in," Yuri hissed to me and Deirdre. "We have to figure it out soon, or he could retreat back into his office, and then we won't be able to get an answer out of him!"

"Well... There must be something we can use... All we need to do is push that the photo does involve Oracle and all of their associates. Let's prove the other people in the picture are involved with Oracle. From there, all our other evidence should come tumbling into place," I suggested. "We know Venus and Cassidy were involved. We figured that out after their deaths. Let's find something for the other six people."

"Okay... Well, let's think about it. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke had the chance to press for an investigation into Estelle Burns after her disappearance, but he never did. Maybe that was because he wanted Oracle to get away," Yuri said. "Plus, there's one other thing about Chrysalis I didn't notice until recently... When I think about it, Chrysalis didn't wear gloves back when we first met. You can see that in the picture. However, you never see her without a pair these days."

"The small glove in Mr. Morix's pocket might be hers then! It's too small to fit any of us, but Chrysalis always seemed to have unnaturally small hands," I told them.

"I don't know if we should really be focusing on the other copies of the picture right now," Deirdre cut in. "I wasn't thinking about it when we first brought up the picture, but we have one specific copy of the photo that shows Oracle is involved with it. I'm sure you remember how a copy of the picture was found in the suitcase. It was hidden pretty well, but that doesn't change the fact that it was there. Why would O be carrying it with her unless she had something to do with it? If it was a picture of her associates, things would make a lot of sense. Wouldn't you agree?"

"That sounds about right to me too," I nodded. "Well, Mr. Morix. What do you think of that?"

Mr. Morix frowned. "The photo has been used in a few cases involving Oracle in the past few months. Maybe she was carrying it as part of her endeavors to learn more about Oracle," he suggested.

"However, O was not trying to learn who Oracle was. She already knew fully well Oracle was just her behind the mask. We heard it from her own mouth earlier today she was Oracle. Occisor was loud and clear about that after hearing it from Y's research," Yuri cut in. "You can't say it was part of her cover either. I know you're thinking about it. I can tell it from that look in your eyes."

"Oh?" Mr. Morix prompted, his gaze growing dark. 

"The picture we're talking about had tearstains on it. I don't know why it would have markings like that on it unless it was important to Oracle. If it was a picture of her and all the people who helped her get to where she is today, it would make sense," Yuri explained. "Now, I think we should talk about the locket."

I crouched down next to the suitcase once again and dug through its various pockets before stumbling upon the cool metal of the locker. I dragged it from its position and held it out to Mr. Morix. "We found this in the bag. It has two people in it. One of them just so happens to be Venus. I don't know of anybody else who was close enough with Venus to want to keep her picture in a locket. Yuri and Venus are sisters though, so she would be able to tell us if there was anybody. Yuri? Did Venus have any friends who would want to have her face in a locket?"

Yuri shook her head. "The only one I would think of would be KJ, but he was at the courthouse this morning when O was exposed to the world. Chrysalis, on the other hand... The two of them were practically joined at the hip. While I can't quite pinpoint their relationship, Chrysalis was really close with her. She would have a reason to hold a little piece of her when she traveled or something," Yuri answered.

"There's another thing that can work in our favor then," I grinned triumphantly. "All of this is piling up far too much now. It can't be a coincidence with this much evidence pointing to Chrysalis being the one. If you have an explanation for it, then feel free to try and explain things now. I don't know how well that's going to work out for you, but you can give it a try. Go on. We're waiting."

I couldn't help the smirk that worked its way onto my features. We were finally getting somewhere. After ages of him denying our claims over and over, we finally figured out how to pin this on her. We had the evidence we needed. Neptune had been right in that regard, even if she spouted a bunch of nonsense along with it.

"Oracle could have easily had relations with Venus that you didn't know about, Yuri. You didn't realize your sister was involved with the project at all while she was alive. She could have easily hidden her friendship with a third party as well," Mr. Morix told us, crossing his arms. "Unless you can give me something else, I won't be able to accept anything."

"Let's talk about the letter from Pieter Fury then," Deirdre suggested. She got down next to the suitcase and rummaged through its contents before pulling out the envelope and the letter. I vainly hoped the water on the back had cleared up and that we would be able to read the name of its recipient, but that was not the case. I had expected the envelope's writing to be just as blurry as before, but I was still a little disappointed deep down.

"This letter was written to Oracle from Pieter Fury, presumably before his disappearance," Deirdre continued. "We read over it, and if you ask me, it seems far too personal and heartfelt to merely be between coworkers and comrades on a project. It felt like it was coming from something deeper, like a feeling of love. We don't have the name of the person who received it, as there's water on the back blurring out the name, but it still seems telling enough to me."

"From what we've heard, Pieter was only close with one person before his disappearance. Other people were merely acquaintances in his eyes. The main person he focused on was his youngest adoptive sister, otherwise known as Chrysalis. I wouldn't be surprised if this letter was from him to her, telling her that he was glad they had spent time together," I continued. "Unless you can somehow explain what all of that flowery language is about, it seems crystal clear what this letter is about."

Mr. Morix paused once again, his lips forming a tight frown. "I don't think we can call that conclusive either," he told us. "Pieter could have very easily reached out to a few other people. He was quiet and kept his secrets well. That letter may have been to O, sure, but that doesn't mean it belongs to Chrysalis too. I'm afraid I can't accept this as evidence either."

Yuri stomped one foot against the ground assertively. "That's what you've been saying this whole time! You've been going on and on about how we don't have the right evidence, how none of this is conclusive, how it's just a coincidence! You know what?! I'm sick of it! I've been working with you for two years now! I don't understand why you can't trust me enough to tell the truth! My older sisters died because of this mess! I know it wasn't directly Oracle's fault, but that doesn't mean I've had closure! I never got to say goodbye or anything! They just left home one day and didn't come back! If anybody here knows the truth behind Oracle, the truth behind who they were working for and why they died, it's you, and I'm here to find it out!" she shouted. 

The tension that formed in the air after her rant sent a shiver down my spine. I looked to Deirdre, who refused to meet my eyes. She was gazing intently at Yuri, waiting for her to say something else. 

We didn't have to wait very long before the silence was broken. "I know that it's dangerous. My sisters knew that too, and they still jumped into this mess. I already told you I know this wasn't Oracle's fault. She didn't ask for all these people to die. However, I still want to hear the truth. I want to know who they were working for. As of right now, you're the only person who I can ask a question like that. For the love of all things holy, can you tell me what it is that's going on? Who is Oracle really behind the mask? Why is all of this happening? Why did you get involved? Who supported this? I need to know," Yuri continued to say. She was considerably softer now than she had been a few seconds before, but I didn't comment on it. Instead, I focused my gaze on the floor so I wouldn't have to meet Mr. Morix's eyes.

Speaking of him, Mr. Morix wasn't saying anything. I could see his fingers dart to his pocket where the black glove was located. He messed around with it for a moment before pulling it out completely. He stared down at the glove silently, turning it over in his fingers. "I should have expected you to get mad that way. You've been in the dark since Venus died back in February. Cassidy's murder probably only deepened your questions. I wish I could say more on the matter, but I'm afraid I can't. It's not my choice to make," he told us. Mr. Morix seemed to have come out of his shady phase. At this point, he wasn't even trying to deny that he knew something. He let out a sigh. "I can't tell you yet."

"We've already basically figured it out. Even if you were claiming it was all coincidental, it seems far too perfect for it to just be chance. Besides, it seems like you've stopped putting up a fight, like you know we've beaten you," I said with a frown. "Maybe you could just make it easier on all of us and tell us the truth now."

"I can't tell you," pressed Mr. Morix. "It's not a good idea. Oracle is dangerous. Enough people have already gotten hurt. I don't want you three to be put at risk next. It's far too risky."

"Mr. Morix, please... You have to talk to us. We already know who Oracle is. Like Lily was saying, this is too much of a coincidence. Besides, if you talk to us, we might be able to help you get her back. She's in danger right now. You aren't the leader on the defense here, so we're the ones in charge of her fate. We were planning on helping her out anyways, but we need the details if we're going to do that," Yuri pleaded. "Would you rather we keep snooping around on our own? That's arguably even more dangerous."

Mr. Morix considered her words for a moment. He looked down at the black glove in his hands again. He turned it over a few times before letting out a sigh. "I feel like she should be the one to explain it all to you. I don't have the right to tell you the details," he said softly.

"Mr. Morix, you need to understand her position. If we can't hear what we should and shouldn't reveal, what we can and can't do to save her, she won't be able to explain it to us. I'm trying to be optimistic, but unless we see a miracle, we aren't going to be talking to her anytime soon. It's not going to happen now or ever," Yuri told him with a frown. "I'm not doing this because I hate you. None of us hate you. I'm just trying to learn the truth."

Mr. Morix shook his head. "I... I don't want to think about it like that... Deep down, I know she's in danger, but I can't do much of anything to help her. I don't have a way to track her. I'm not the leader of the defense team. All I can do is beg you and Ghastly to do your best to save her, but that won't help anyone. Chrysalis can't be saved by just words at this point. It's going to take much more to bring her home," he whispered. 

He let out a hefty sigh and stared down at the glove again. His fingers closed around it wordlessly. Mr. Morix continued to look at it for a few more seconds before speaking. "I... I know what I have to do. For the sake of Chrysalis, I need to tell you the full story behind Oracle," he said softly.

"So... You'll tell us?" Yuri asked eagerly, a smile appearing on her face.

Mr. Morix nodded. "I will," he answered. "I do want to warn you ahead of time though... Oracle's tale is a long one. It's not easy to sit through. I had been hoping she would have been able to tell you on her own time, but Occisor has prevented that. I'm going to have to explain it in her stead for the time being... However, since I'm telling you my side of the story now, you have to promise me you'll bring her home to hear her thoughts on the situation."

"We promise," Deirdre told him firmly. "We won't let anything happen to her."

"I'm sorry for the way I was acting. I've always been desperate to hide the truth. I don't want her to end up in even more trouble. I'm so used to protecting people by not talking to them about Oracle, I suppose. I was thinking that would work here, but given all the information you've gathered by now, that simply wasn't going to be possible..." Mr. Morix's voice trailed off as he looked down at the glove for a bit longer. His grasp on it tightened, his eyes growing glossy. 

Mr. Morix raised one hand to wipe away the tears that had been forming in his eyes. With a shake of his head, he looked to all three of us individually. When he met my eyes, I gave him an encouraging smile. 

"Take your time," I said gently.

Mr. Morix took a deep breath. "We don't have much time, so I'll get onto it. Of course, I have to preface this by saying what I'm about to tell you can't leave this room. I can give you a list of people who know. You can talk about it strictly with them. Any others could put her at risk. I need to enforce this rule for Chrysalis' sake. Her life is on the line depending on who knows about this and who doesn't," he went on.

"We'll keep it secret," Deirdre assured him. "We understand the dangers behind the Oracle project. Ever since being hired here, Lily and I have seen firsthand what can happen to those involved... For the sake of those involved, it'll stay quiet."

"Yeah. It'll be just between the four of us and anybody else who knows," Yuri told him. She placed one hand on his shoulder and smiled encouragingly his way. "Don't you worry a bit."

"In that case, I see no reason to hold this off further," Mr. Morix murmured. He inhaled deeply once again and looked down at the glove with forlorn eyes. "Oracle... The true identity of Oracle is exactly what you assumed. My youngest sister, Chrysalis, is the one and only Oracle. It's been that way from the beginning. As for her story... It's a complex one, but one I believe you need to hear. With that said, let's get right into it..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe we're finally up to the big reveal. Damn.
> 
> Next chapter, we get the big explanation from Cotoli's point of view with all that happened. We'll hear from Oracle herself a bit later, around part nineteen. 
> 
> I hope this plot twist was executed well. I think it was a lot better than the previous version's, but it seemed pretty obvious in my eyes. Granted, that's probably because I wrote it and threw in all the inside clues as early as chapter five (Cotoli knowing Shayla) or six (Chrysalis wearing gloves). Oh well. 
> 
> -Digital


	54. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 14

**September 1**

**Morix Law Offices**

**5:00 PM**

**Cotoli Morix**

"The Oracle project began two years ago after the GC-9 incident. You see, it started after the murder of my mother, Natasha Morix. She was strangled to death at the Sparx Factory near here. They were working on new technology before her death. It was said to be helpful to all people in society. My mother was the main worker on this technology. She never gave me any details, but I later learned it was a virtual reality simulator. At the time, Occisor hadn't officially formed, but they were the ones behind her death.

"My mother was murdered by Occisor and was hung from the ceiling by the rope used to kill her. Five witnesses entered the scene. We were on a tour of the factory that day courtesy of my mother. Chrysalis, Sora, and Yuri were among those present. Yuri can tell you that much for sure. Two others were there as well, but they aren't relevant to this story. Yuri was slashed in the eye by one of the assassins for Occisor, knocking her unconscious from blood loss. Sora was hit in the head by an object inside the room, making her pass out. Chrysalis was given a drug, but she managed to escape before she fell unconscious. She alerted Ghastly of the murder before passing out. He ended up being the suspect for the case.

"When Chrysalis awoke, she met our adoptive brother, Pieter. He had been living with my mother up until that point. After a mysterious incident, he couldn't live on his own anymore. My mother nursed him back to health. They were planning on meeting up with us at the factory for an introduction, but that never happened due to my mother's death. When he heard his youngest sister had been hurt, he made his way to her side. 

"They seemed to bond instantly. He helped her while she was recovering after the murder. Pieter seemed to be carrying some trauma of his own that Chrysalis was able to remedy. I can't say what it was. Pieter was as secretive as he was kind. However, I do know they got along very well.

"Anyways, Ghastly was eventually proven innocent, but no killers were ever caught. There wasn't enough evidence to show who really did it, which was the start of our problems and the start of Oracle. Occisor got away. Pieter knew who was behind it by the method the crime was committed. He didn't go into detail since, as I've already mentioned, he liked to keep his secrets hidden. Chrysalis grew upset the woman she had looked up to for so many years had been murdered and the culprits got away. Her own mother wasn't around much, and she didn't get along well with our father, so my mother was practically her sole parental figure growing up. Out of anger, she couldn't let Occisor get away, so she devised a plan to catch them.

"At first, it was nothing like the Oracle project you know today. It was just asking people to help out in finding the culprits on the side. Ghastly helped us out, Detective Erikson did a little digging, I looked around... In the end, nothing was helping. We couldn't figure out where they were. Nothing was working. Chrysalis got mad nothing was being done and created the Oracle project to help track down Occisor. 

"It was a small thing at first, but it grew in size after a while. Our main goal was to find Occisor and have its members arrested. They knew somebody was after them, but nobody could tell who it was until Jackson Blocker revealed the truth on TV. We had been looking into them for about a month before Pieter went missing. He left a note behind for Chrysalis and seemingly disappeared off the face of the planet. Chrysalis was devastated, so she dedicated her free time to figuring out where he went. We haven't found much of anything, even if it's been two years. 

"We only know he's somewhere in Germany. Chrysalis found that out a few weeks ago, so she instantly prepared to head to Germany. She wasn't going on a school trip at all. She was heading to Germany to find our brother. I can't say what happened for her to end up at Interpol for this murder. She can explain that when she returns hopefully tomorrow... Anyways, Pieter went missing. That started Chrysalis on her second purpose of trying to find him.

"As of then, our to-do list was to catch Occisor and find Pieter. As time progressed, we figured out there was something else we wanted done. Well, before I go into what we wanted to accomplish, I should explain who is part of this mess.

"Like you suspected, it was the people in the picture. That was taken not long after we came up with the project. It was like a mark showing the beginning of an age. We all had different roles in the group. Chrysalis and I were to take on any cases to do with Occisor. Sora, Polly, and Ghastly were doing the same but from the side of the prosecution. Venus and Cassidy were helpers on each side as well. Pieter was there for support and to provide us with what he knew about Occisor, though I got the feeling he wasn't telling us everything he knew.

"Anyways, we figured out something else was going wrong. The more investigating we did, the more we found was wrong with the legal system. The chief prosecutor at the time was paying people to forge evidence so he could get guilty verdicts when he went to court. The leader of Interpol was corrupt and would allow criminals to escape if they paid him the proper amount. We knew we shouldn't have our hands on that sort of information, but Chrysalis wouldn't let it continue this way. She was tired of the corruption. A third mission joined our list. We wanted to eliminate the excessive corruption plaguing the legal system.

"Since becoming a lawyer, I had seen a lot of corruption, and that's probably putting it lightly. My first case was defending Venus from murder charges. I'm sure Yuri will remember that. It was so strange to me how they had quickly come to a conclusion that she must have done it when there were holes in the theory pointing to her guilt. All I had heard while training to become a lawyer said that time needed to be taken to conclusively find a killer or criminal. Chrysalis found it strange too, but we didn't say anything about it at the time. 

"Cassidy was arrested not long after under a similar circumstance. She was suspected of killing somebody when she would never raise a hand to a fly. Once again, there was pressure to find the culprit quickly regardless of if it was correct or not. She nearly wound up in jail because of forged evidence and false charges. We managed to free her, but that doesn't make it any better. It's still not a good situation to be stuck in. It only enraged us further. 

"This continued for quite some time. I took on a few more cases and revealed who the real killer was when my clients were accused wrongfully. I suppose that I was willing to play along with it for a while so long as I found the truth until Chrysalis and I talked after my mom died... She remarked that while what we were doing was great, we couldn't guarantee everybody that came under suspicion was safe. Some people could easily spend the rest of their lives in prison when they didn't do anything wrong. While the police are right sometimes in tracking criminals, there had been far too many mistakes at the time. She was sick of it.

"Everything became too much for us, so she designed the Oracle project and got help putting it into motion. At the time, we didn't think much of the corruption, but it became more apparent as time went on, as I already mentioned. We haven't gotten rid of all of it, as that's a nearly impossible feat, but we're still working on it. We agree that it has to stop. 

"If you want the truth, we weren't ever going to make the Oracle project public. It was going to stay a quiet thing. Nobody outside of our associates were supposed to know. We weren't going to make it a public thing since that could easily put all of us at risk if anybody realized we were looking into their corrupted history. It was for our safety that we didn't say anything. Even if somebody commented on the number of corrupt officials, we were to say nothing. It was a secret. If it didn't concern them, they didn't need to know. We didn't let a single person join in the project for ages. 

"Of course, that was when Jackson Blocker entered the picture. Chrysalis, or should I say, Estelle, had been lurking around his agency for a while when he finally approached her and asked what was going on. She feigned innocence at first, but he managed to prove she was involved. To keep him from getting her in trouble, she revealed the truth, but she never told him who she really was. To him, Estelle was the only form of Oracle that mattered. We couldn't say for sure if he was trustworthy, after all. She had been there in the first place to make sure none of his lawyers were slipping into the trap of forged evidence.

"There wasn't much of anything we could do to keep it from him. Luckily, he didn't say anything to anybody. We kept him away from the majority of the business, but he still managed to cause some trouble for us. It was the seven of us working together now that Pieter was gone. We didn't want or need his help. He had been the first one to figure out something was wrong, so we had a reason to be wary. None could say if he could be trusted or not. We stayed away from him for the most part, but Chrysalis was still able to get his help to out a few corrupted lawyers while she was still there. He was helpful, yes, but we still held him at arm's length.

"He slipped up while on TV, telling the world about Oracle. At the time, the only hint anybody had that Oracle existed was that a large number of legal workers and politicians were being exposed for abusing their positions. There wasn't any physical proof left behind by Chrysalis during her excursions to point to her. When he mentioned her, we were forced to accept that the public knew the project existed, which was not ideal. It was meant to be a quiet project that stayed under the surface to avoid arousing suspicion. Now that everybody knew she existed, Occisor could make her into a target.

"Occisor didn't even know Oracle was a thing. They just knew somebody was after them. Without any solid evidence Oracle existed, they couldn't do anything about it. Once it got out into the open though, the danger increased tenfold. Nobody would care about a spy they knew nothing about. However, once it became a matter of discussion, everybody would begin to take note. They could investigate. They could learn the truth as Jackson Blocker had. We were still working to cover our tracks, but things could still slip through the cracks, and with a name to put to these strange occurrences, things went downhill. You all figured out on your own merits because you know a few facts exclusive to this building. We feared that above all else. I know I can trust you with this knowledge after working with you for half a year, but you can't blame us for being terrified.

"We managed to evade Occisor for quite a while, but all times of peace must come to an end. That's just how the cycle goes. Where there is peace, chaos is soon to follow. When there is darkness, there's light at the end of the tunnel. In a way, I suppose that's what we were looking for all those years. We were just searching for quiet after the hurricane... That's enough flowery talk for now though. We avoided Occisor after they learned Oracle existed, but it didn't last. The first step in things going even further downhill was the case from last year. 

"I'm talking about the murder of Jackson Blocker. He was killed by a member of Occisor for not revealing who Oracle was. I must thank him for that, even if he and I never got along well due to his abrupt appearance. I told you about that case already when you asked about it a few months ago. It wasn't part of the plan for Estelle to be exposed though. I'm sure that much was obvious. When the culprit revealed that he knew, she could have been killed. The fact that she was spared at all was a miracle. Unfortunately, her wrists were cut, marking her as their prey. It meant they would know who they were looking for if they checked the back of their suspect's hands. She was mortified at the time, but I feel like she's gotten used to it since then. Well, as used to it as she can be. I see her staring at the back of her hands from time to time, but she doesn't bring it up much to me. I guess she doesn't want to worry me...

"That's why she wears the gloves, actually. She doesn't want anybody to see. It's a matter of life and death for her. She has no choice but to hide it. She's never seen without them, even when she's at home. She's too paranoid about it. I can't really blame her. Anybody would be freaked out. There's a group of murderous assassins who want her dead. She wouldn't even think of leaving her gloves behind when she could die for removing them. It's a small detail, but one she can't ever forget because of that day.

"After her wrists were cut, she ran from the courtroom. I told you about that. Venus chased after her. To everybody else in the court, it seemed like she was going to try and catch her so she could testify again. However, since she was working alongside Estelle the whole time, Venus actually helped her to escape. That was the last time Estelle Burns was ever seen. The alias has been abandoned and is never to be used again. It was created for the purpose of sneaking into Blocker Law, so I suppose it's only fitting that it ended with Blocker Law as well. In some twisted way, it's almost poetic.

"Venus helped her into a private area we knew didn't have any security cameras. She changed clothes and became Chrysalis once again. She claimed to have been driven over after finishing a rehearsal with her theater group. She decided to go back home with Venus and me. I intentionally didn't mention that detail before since I figured you would grow suspicious if I brought her up. I apologize for withholding that information to begin with, but now that you've heard the truth, I might as well reveal everything. There's no harm in telling you what I held back on before.

"After that murder, we grew more cautious with our investigations. We couldn't have any of us being exposed for our involvement. The project could have very easily crumbled if one of us was removed from the situation. Without Pieter, we were down to seven, all with our own roles to play. We couldn't afford to change things further. It would have been risky. 

"Not much really happened from then on. Around that time, Chrysalis exposed the chief prosecutor at the time and revealed he was corrupted. I mentioned that before. Ghastly was the one who was set to inherit his position, which made this much easier on all of us. We had more power to investigate and go much deeper than we could before with him covering for us. His help allowed us to reveal the corruption working behind the scenes of Interpol. Afterwards, Chrysalis decided to infiltrate the company to learn more. Interpol is a hub of information of all sorts. She would have been able to expose all sorts of dark dealings if she was able to learn more from there. With her manipulation powers, she was able to worm in as Sakura Rai, or O. She was working only part-time though so nobody would get suspicious as to why she wasn't around much. 

"We didn't do much of anything over the year before Venus' death. We were careful to avoid being caught. Venus was doing her job as the second-in-command for Chrysalis. The two of us were her main helpers throughout all of this. She was doing a lot behind the scenes to learn the truth behind Occisor. At the time, we didn't know very much though since they hadn't revealed themselves. Our one-way ticket to learning the truth was Pieter, but nobody had seen him in ages. Venus and Chrysalis were doing their best to find him, but you can only try for so long before you realize it isn't going much of anywhere. Chrysalis was starting to lose hope in finding Pieter, and by extension, the culprits behind my mother's death, because we had been looking for over a year and a half and didn't know anything. I suppose you could call this the lowest point in the project's history. Everybody was growing tired and didn't know where to go next. It seemed like the killers would get away again and Pieter would be lost for good. 

"Now, we get to the early segments of this year. I had been working on my own for quite some time, but Venus made a casual suggestion that maybe I should take on a few other lawyers. After all, maybe helping expose corruption would be easier if there were more people working at it. I thought on it for a little while before agreeing she had a point. I conducted some research and found Lily and Deirdre online. I interviewed the two of you over email and decided you would be fine additions to the company. You weren't supposed to start working for a little while, but a wrench was thrown into our plan to get help. 

"Venus was on the phone with Chrysalis, who at the time was in one of her aliases, Shayla Willows, at Venus' request. She was supposed to talk with her about something, though Venus was never able to explain that in detail. However, that was when she was killed. Chrysalis testified as Shayla against Buff Guiy, though she defended Anton since the two of them are close friends. I had Lily help me out, thinking I could start her on the path to helping expose corruption in the legal system. We were able to find the real killer and lay Venus' soul to rest... Well, sort of. 

"Venus has been strange compared to the spirits of other deceased people. For some odd reason, she cannot be channeled. Chrysalis and Sora have been attempting it for quite some time, but success seems unlikely at best at this point. We were planning on talking to her about what she wanted to know the day of her death, but that has proven impossible since then. It's an odd phenomenon we've never heard of happening before. However, there isn't much of anything we can do about it now. 

"Nothing of note happened until our new recruits officially began to work here. That was the day Buff Guiy died. I'm sure you remembered how Chrysalis left before our meeting was done. That was because she was called to the crime scene to investigate under one of her aliases. I'm not going to tell you who it was as of now since I believe that's her story to tell you. She can explain it when she returns. Anyways, she had to go and check out the scene of the crime. When she appeared to help the investigation alongside Deirdre, it was after she had finished her job as an investigator. Also, I'm sure you noticed how she always seemed somewhat distant when talking to newer faces. That's something of a side effect due to her position as Oracle. She doesn't want to end up in danger by trusting somebody she shouldn't. I told her to go and help the investigation to hopefully minimize her issues with trusting others. I suppose it's been somewhat successful, but I can still sense her hesitance. I guess it's just hard for her to let go of.

"After Yuri was returned to us, things began to change. We were all a bit unsettled after seeing the message in blood at the crime scene. Plus, the culprit had finally announced the name of the group we were after. It was Occisor all along. Now, we didn't need to know where Pieter was to learn who was behind the death of my mother two years before. Of course, we still wanted to find him an learn more about who he really was, but he was no longer needed for our plan to come to fruition. That changed everything. 

"Our investigations were proceeding faster than ever. Things were going perfectly well. Of course, there was a problem. You three were beginning to snoop into things. You were trying to figure out who Oracle really was behind the mask, even if it wasn't an intense investigation. You already knew a bit more than you should have because of Prosecutor Shield's investigations into Shayla Willows. You knew Oracle was Shayla, or at least that was one of the aliases. Chrysalis avoided using that alias from then on out due to her fear once I told her. It was probably a good idea on her part. 

"We were able to learn more about Occisor during those months, though we weren't able to find the full truth. We didn't have any names. The members of Occisor were always using aliases when killing people. We couldn't find their hideout without names. There wasn't any conclusive way to track them. In other words, we had hit another brick wall. We would need to find them if we were going to have them arrested for their crimes. That was a large issue. We would have to find their real names while avoiding suspicion from the three of you and Y. 

"After being assigned to work at Interpol, Sakura was set to work alongside Y, an agent working under M and N to find the truth behind the Oracle case. M only grew more curious after being promoted to his position as the head of Interpol, which he didn't know was Sakura's doing. He knew Oracle was behind it, as Chrysalis sent a letter to the local chief of police after the exposure of the previous head of Interpol saying she did it. He pressed Y and Sakura to find the truth behind Oracle's true identity, likely out of his own curiosity. Since he was the leader of the company, he didn't have the time to look into who Oracle really was, so he put it on the two of them. 

"Y was getting closer to learning the truth. Sakura did her best to hold off the investigation, even offering to help by investigating out in the field to gather more information to hide the truth behind her identity. This is where the third murder since your joining began. I'm talking about the murder out on the lake during that boat race.

"No direct associates of Oracle were involved in that case, though that showed us one important detail: Neptune Mercure, a private investigator, figured out the truth on her own. We were sure we had covered our tracks well enough. We all pitched in to figure out how she had found it out, but we couldn't come up with anything. Quietly, I came to the conclusion that somebody had told her. I didn't want to think we had a traitor among our company. It simply didn't make sense to me. Why work with the rest of the group for two years only to betray us?

"Regardless, O slipped onto the crime scene at one point after Chrysalis excused herself from the investigation. She spoke briefly with Lily and scoped out if there was any dangerous evidence at the scene of the crime. She found nothing, so she left. That case did show that Neptune had a lot of proof against Chrysalis, though it only made sense to those who were fully aware of the complete truth. The photo she carried was also an odd addition, as it wasn't at all relevant to her. We hid it for a while the best we could, but it seems you figured out in the end that it was related to our motley little crew anyways. Chrysalis went to Neptune as Sakura, and it only proved that she knew the truth.

"After that case, not much of note happened. I mentioned the potential of a traitor to my sisters, and from there, it spread to the rest of the group. Chrysalis mentioned that Neptune was a friend of Cassidy's, which seemed to point to her as the one who told Neptune the truth. We didn't want to believe it, but we had no other choice in the matter. 

"We decided to meet up at the local carnival in town, Happy House Carnival, to talk about the matter. However, we were cut short by the explosion on the Ferris wheel. Cassidy was killed in the explosion, and I was the one arrested for it. I'm sure you remember that. I left the agency that morning to meet up with the other five living members of the group to talk about the betrayal. We never learned the truth due to Cassidy's death... And to this day, we still can't say for sure if Cassidy was the one who told Neptune everything. Much like Venus, we can't channel her for some strange reason. I wish I knew why.

"We dropped everything behind the betrayal afterwards. Chrysalis told us Neptune claimed to have found out the truth on her own, and without any evidence, we couldn't prove somebody had told her everything. It was unfortunate, but we didn't have any other choice but to let it go. Also, Chrysalis was somewhere else at the time of that case. You can't possibly think she would let me get arrested and not do anything about it. She can tell you about that herself though.

"After that, she began to help Interpol reveal the truth behind the traitors within its walls. She sent letters to M and N about who was selling information. She was able to get them all arrested without exposing her identity. Y, however, found out the truth and wanted to reveal it, but M stopped her.

"Now, we get to the present day. Chrysalis was set to head to Germany to talk to Pieter and bring him back here now that we had a rough location for where he was. She was asked to drop by Interpol to speak with Y on the way though. She never was stalled at the airport. She was forced to go to Interpol to talk to Y, as she had figured out the truth. However, she never got to talk to Y, as she was killed by a member of Occisor for her research. Luckily, the research only revealed Sakura as an alias of Oracle. Her true face was kept under wraps since Y had no idea. 

"It didn't take long for Y's research to tell Occisor exactly who Oracle was. From there, you understand exactly what happened. Sakura was kidnapped and is now being held hostage alongside around twelve others, though they didn't say who they had. I don't know why they kept it open-ended, but I suppose we'll figure out the truth soon enough. Now, they're using Sakura against us in hopes of getting M a guilty verdict for their crime. We're lucky they haven't realized Sakura is just an alias. Chrysalis would be in even more danger if that was the case. Now, after we save her, she can come home and go back to her regular identity without much risk.

"And there you have it. That's the full story."

"Wow... That's... I can't believe it," Lily murmured. 

"Thank you for telling us," Yuri said quietly. 

"Now, you know exactly what you have to do. You know who you need to save. You must do your best to defend Chrysalis from Occisor by finding a way to trap them in their own game. It's a huge gambit, but we have no choice," I frowned. 

"We're going to save her," Deirdre told me firmly. "Don't worry."

"I believe in you... I know you and Ghastly will do everything you can to make sure she comes home safely. She'll be back home soon... And then she can fill in the missing pieces for you," I continued.

"Thanks for trusting us with this. It means a lot. We won't tell a soul," Deirdre assured me. 

"I know you won't... Now, don't let me down. Show what you're made of. Catch Occisor, or at the very least, hold off the trial until they can be caught. It's not going to be easy, but you can do it. This is your final test as a newcomer to this agency," I said. "Bring Chrysalis home and prove yourselves as lawyers. I believe you can do it."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted part seventeen of this story on wattpad and fan fiction today, so we're almost caught up. By the end of this week, all three sites will be in sync at last. 
> 
> I guess I should probably comment on the chapter now. There's your big explanation as to how everything comes together. We'll be getting one in part nineteen from Chrysalis herself, but for now, Cotoli's perspective will have to do.
> 
> It bewilders me to think how much this case differs from the first draft three years ago. The first version of this case was boring and didn't serve any purpose aside from revealing who Oracle was, but in this one, it feels like there are stakes. Plus, we get to meet the Interpol gang and Neptune is a badass. 
> 
> Neptune has got to be my favorite addition to this story out of all the things I've changed. Her inclusion is just a heap of fun, and I love writing her. She's great and easily one of my favorite minor characters.
> 
> I don't have much else to say here. I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Digital


	55. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 15

**September 2**

**Defendant Lobby No. 6**

**9:30 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

I entered the defendant lobby with Yuri at my side the next morning. I couldn't help the frown that was insistently reappearing on my features despite my attempts to suppress it. I could see Lily sitting on the couch on the opposite end of the room. She was staring down at the ground, but I could still see the exhaustion dancing around her eyes.

She didn't notice Yuri and I had approached until Yuri tapped her on the shoulder. Lily jumped and shot us a sheepish smile. "Sorry," she said apologetically. "I was thinking about what Mr. Morix told us yesterday. I couldn't sleep well last night because of it... It's hard to avoid thinking about it, you know?"

"I get it," Yuri nodded. "I was thinking about it a lot too. I can't believe that secret was hiding right under our noses this whole time, and we didn't see it at all until yesterday. I mean, we had hints, which seem to make it so obvious in hindsight, but at the same time... I don't know. It's got me thinking. There's a lot resting on our shoulders in court today. We have to save one of the most important public figures in the city while trying not to anger a group of assassins. It's not going to be easy, but we have to find a way to get through it. Mr. Morix will have our heads if we let anything bad happen to Chrysalis."

"That's true... This is a mess. Why did it have to end up this way?" Lily murmured with a shake of her head. "Right now, things are looking pretty bleak, but we must figure something out if we want to catch the culprits after all this time. Mr. Morix is counting on us. I don't want to let him down now."

"We can't let our doubts get the better of us," I reminded them. "We won't be at the top of our game if we're focused on other things. Don't let yourself slip into fear. Focus on the task at hand. We'll be fine. From what we saw yesterday, Ms. Mercure and her friend from Interpol are going to try and track down the hostages and Occisor. If we can just stall for long enough, they can free the hostages, so Occisor won't have anything to hold over our heads."

"A surprise attack is our best bet here anyways," Yuri remarked. "I don't know how we're going to stall for that long though. I mean, Occisor wants our answer as soon as the trial starts. We'll need to tell them something, but since we didn't get the chance to talk to Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, we don't have a plan. Any ideas on what we should do?"

"We need to tread carefully and keep them from losing their temper," I told her. "Any irrelevant questions will have to be avoided. We don't know what they'll do if we anger them. The hostages could end up being hurt or worse if we push the wrong buttons."

"Let's not think about that. I mean, I know that it's important to keep in mind, but if we focus on it exclusively, we'll only freak ourselves out," Lily suggested with a frown.

"She has a point. I don't want to focus too much on the hostages. It's going to make our performance slip," Yuri agreed with a nod. "I don't know how we're going to find something else to think about, but we'll need to figure something out. We can't lose this case."

"I was out here thinking our cases were hopeless before, but this one just takes the cake. I don't understand why it has to be this way," Lily murmured with a shake of her head. "I don't know where N and M are, but we should try and talk to them a little bit before the trial begins. Maybe they'll have some new information for us. We didn't get to visit them again after we finished our investigation since we were focused on getting back to the agency. Mr. Morix might be able to help us out too."

"I don't know where Mr. Morix is," Yuri frowned. "I guess he's coming in late. Or maybe he's talking to Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. The two of them are close friends, so maybe he can worm some information out of him. Then again, I don't know how much that will matter at the end of the day... We don't really need to prove the prosecution wrong at this point. We just need to hold off the trial until Neptune and X can figure out where the hostages are being held..."

"Perhaps he's telling Chief Prosecutor Bespoke what the plan is. After all, I highly doubt our little gambit will be successful unless we can get him on our side. One half of the courtroom trying to stall but the other hurrying might not work out very well. If the judge leans toward him, the hostages are as good as dead," Lily suggested. "Wow, that got pretty dark... I guess we'll just have to figure out what we're going to do alone for now though. I don't think it's a good idea to leave the defendant lobby to talk to Chief Prosecutor Bespoke while we're still waiting to see M and N. We could easily miss them, which would be the opposite of good."

"What's that about us?"

As if on cue, M and N came walking into the room. Detective Wattson was standing beside them, a tired smile on her face. They approached us silently, waiting for us to say something. 

"I didn't expect to see you here," Yuri began, looking up at Detective Wattson. 

"I was asked to escort him in today, love," Detective Wattson explained. "How did your investigation go? Did you find any useful information?"

"Not particularly," I lied, not wanting to explain in detail how we found the evidence needed to pin down Oracle. "What about you?"

"There wasn't exactly a lot to look into yesterday because of how this case has unfolded. With a killer already confirmed, you can't do much. Because Occisor has hostages, we'll need to be careful..." Detective Wattson frowned. "However, I did hear a juicy little tidbit from a few people working at Interpol. An agent by the name of X is close to figuring out where Occisor is located. He's got a private investigator at his side and a few police officers provided by the precinct to find the assassins."

"That's good to hear," Yuri grinned. "If we can get Occisor in the palm of our hand, this will be much easier. I'm glad to know they've made some progress. Yesterday, it seemed like they were just getting started when we spoke to them."

"Also, we've figured out who a few of the hostages are. I'm sure you've already heard about this, but... It seems that one of your coworkers has conveniently gone missing at the time of this incident," Detective Wattson frowned. "If our deductions are correct, Chrysalis Starr is among the hostages."

"We heard about that," Lily frowned. "That's just another reason for us to catch the assassins at their own game, if you want my opinion."

"Yesterday, her older brother called her cell phone in hopes of getting a response from her. He didn't get a hold of her and mentioned he thought something was wrong. That was when we figured it out," Detective Wattson explained. "We have a few other reports on who some of their hostages could be, but we can't share that information. The families of the hostages asked us not to share it openly if that was possible. I simply figured you would want to hear about your coworker being taken..."

"Thank you for telling us," I told her. "Is there anything else you wanted to tell us?"

"I don't think so. I'll leave you to talk to your client," Detective Wattson told us. She turned on her heel and walked away with a small wave. 

I turned to M and N. "Alright," I said promptly. "Is there anything else you want us to know?"

"I can't think of anything in particular," M answered, his arms crossed over his chest. I saw his foot was tapping impatiently against the ground. "Do you have a plan?"

"Somewhat," Lily explained bluntly. "We're going to make sure you're acquitted though. Don't you worry. It's going to be fine. We're going to get the hostages out too. In other words, we're going to make sure all is well by the end of today."

"Well, if you're so confident, I suppose I can trust you," shrugged M. "I don't know what's going to happen. I talked to Chief Prosecutor Bespoke briefly. He told me that he knew now that I wasn't the culprit and was willing to drop all charges now that somebody else had confessed. However, he couldn't release me due to the situation with the hostages. He didn't want to risk angering the assassins keeping all those people."

"What do you think of this situation?" Yuri questioned. 

"I keep thinking about O. In a way, all of it makes a lot of sense. I wish I had figured this out sooner. I would have loved to talk to her about it after what she did to weed out traitors from Interpol," M admitted. "Of course, she's probably going to disappear without a trace after this case ends because of her identity being exposed. It happened a year ago when Estelle Burns was revealed to be Oracle. This time will be no different. As irritating as it is, there's not much we can do about it. She's an elusive one."

"I heard X was trying to find her. What do you think of that?" I asked. 

"That sounds like him... He was always something of a rebel, even if he tried to hide it the best he could. It's against company protocol to try and rescue a compromised agent if it could risk the greater good of the workers there. However, if he's doing it like he is now, otherwise known as 'not using any men from Interpol', I suppose it's fine," M replied. "There are a few officers from the local precinct working on it from what I've heard. If he plays his cards right, everybody will be able to get out of this case safely."

"Here's hoping he can pull it off. He's a skilled agent who knows what he's doing, so it shouldn't be too bad, right?" Yuri questioned, though I got the feeling she was more trying to convince herself than the rest of us.

"I hope he can do it... I don't want all those hostages to end up hurt or worse," murmured N. "It could very easily end badly if something goes wrong."

"He'll do it. We're going to be fine," Lily assured him. Much like Yuri, it seemed like she was telling herself that as opposed to trying to convince the rest of us. 

"Well, if that's all you wanted to ask me, I think I want to talk to N a little in private before the trial begins. Is that alright?" M asked. 

"Of course," I nodded. "We should discuss our strategy for today anyways."

M walked away over to a secluded corner away from much of the activity in the room. N trailed after him. I watched the two of them lean up against the wall and begin to talk, but I couldn't understand a word that was being said.

"I can't stop thinking about the hostages. I know it isn't going to help us at all, but it's hard to focus on something else. There's so much riding on this trial. I always knew that when I defended somebody in court, I was taking their life into my own hands. This is something so much greater than that though... It's not just M's freedom at stake. It's Chrysalis and over a dozen people. It's one of the most important figures in the city as of recent history. It's a lot more than we've ever had to deal with," Lily said. 

"Stop thinking about it if you can. We have a lot more to worry about right now," I reminded her.

"I know that, but... This is so much pressure. I wish Mr. Morix was able to help us, but he isn't here yet," Lily murmured. 

"I'm sure he's helping us out in his own ways. His younger sister is in danger. There's no way he's going to just stand by and let all this happen to her. It's not in his nature. I have the feeling we'll see him helping us out in his own ways. We're just going to need to have faith in him," Yuri told her. 

"This isn't going to be easy with him doing other things. He's easily the best out of everybody at the agency when it comes to these things. Chrysalis might be a good bet, but she's out of commission too... It's like they're trying to make this as hard on us as possible," Lily remarked. 

"I think that's the point. They don't want us to figure this out, so they're making this hard on us... Granted, they don't know how they're making it hard on us, but it's still an issue," Yuri frowned. "There isn't much we can do about it just standing around here though. We need to get in there soon and show those assassins who the boss is around here. They aren't going to get away with this so long as we're the ones behind the defense bench. If there's one thing we can use to our advantage, it's our determination. They can't deal with our stubborn determination forever. We have the wish to save those close to us, which is bound to help us win in the end, right?"

Before I could come up with a reply, a bailiff appeared next to Yuri, as if he had heard her speech about going into the courtroom to win and appeared accordingly. The bailiff, who I recalled to be KJ, as Yuri had called him a few times before, waved at her. "The trial is about to start," he explained.

"Thanks," Yuri grinned as KJ walked away. She turned back to Lily and me. "Well, that's our cue. We're going to do this. Don't worry about it. Everything is going to be fine. No more panicking."

"For the sake of Mr. Morix and Chrysalis, we're going to win this," Lily grinned. "The agency is going to be back to normal before the day ends. Consider that a promise from me. I wish Mr. Morix was around to hear me say it, but it's okay. We're going to find a way to do this whether he's standing alongside us or not."

"Then let's go take care of it," I nodded firmly. 

**September 2**

**Courtroom No. 6**

**10:00 AM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

When we got into the courtroom, I looked around at the other people in the room. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke and Prosecutor Wood were standing next to each other quietly. The latter was messing around with the papers on the bench just as she had been doing the day before. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke was looking up above our heads. I turned around to see what he was looking at, which is when I noticed Mr. Morix sitting in the gallery above us. His arms were crossed as he frowned down at Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. I noticed his phone was sitting simply on his lap, like it was ready to be used at any moment.

Judge Diaphan was sitting in her normal position, playing around with the gavel in her fingers silently. She was staring down at the witness stand, where I noticed KJ was standing alongside the TV from the day before. He was tinkering around with it silently, though I heard him murmur a few things here and there.

Judge Diaphan watched him for a few moments longer before letting out a sigh and speaking. "Is something the matter?" she asked impatiently. She seemed just as ready to end this trial as I was.

"We seem to be having a few technical difficulties," KJ explained. He seemed on edge. I got the feeling the words of the assassins were ringing in his ears even a day later. "I know they wanted us to contact them at the designated time specifically, but it doesn't seem like there's a signal from their side yet... There isn't much we can do about it at the moment. All we can really do is wait until something shows up. I know it isn't exactly the best use of our time, but we don't have a choice..."

"I'm worried about all of this. What if they get mad at us? We could end up in some serious trouble if we can't figure this out soon," Lily hissed at me. "What about the hostages? They're going to be in even more danger if the assassins decide to blame us."

"I think now is a good time to go over protocol when it comes to contacting dangerous assassins with hostages. Don't be rude, don't interrupt them, no sarcastic comments, don't be too disagreeable, and don't do anything else that could result in the harming of the ones they have at their disposal," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke declared. He was no longer looking up at Mr. Morix directly, but I could see him shoot a few glances up at our boss from time to time. "Are we clear on that?"

Nobody in the courtroom gave an answer.

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke took that as a sign they were all in agreement. "Glad to hear it. Now, let's try to be nice. If any of you decides to have an outburst in the middle of the trial, I would ask you to see yourself out before the bailiffs have to drag you out," he announced. 

"I don't think I've ever seen him look so serious..." Yuri murmured. "I guess he's just as freaked out about this as we are. I suppose I can't blame him. His position as chief prosecutor could be at risk if he fails in figuring this out."

"Then let's not give him a chance to fail. Let's take care of this swiftly and without issue," Lily hissed at her. "Besides, it looks like KJ is almost done messing around with the TV. We're going to be in contact with them any second now."

I looked up to KJ and saw that she was right. He was nearly finished messing with the TV. I felt my heart skip a beat. I hadn't expected this moment to come so quickly. After the day before, I wasn't looking forward to talking to any assassins. I would be perfectly content going the rest of my life without seeing another one. It was terrifying to think I had walked in here today like this was a normal thing, like it was just another task I would be able to take care of before leaving the courtroom to go about my daily life again. I thought for a brief moment what my life was coming to before the TV lit up and began to make grumbles of static. I instinctively covered my ears at hearing the sound. It was far from pleasant to listen to, and that was putting it lightly.

KJ turned a few knobs on the back of the TV, making the static increase and decrease in volume. I saw Lily cringe out of the corner of my eye. Yuri was just glaring daggers at the TV, like she was ready to punch a hole in the screen if it continued to screech. I couldn't help but feel the same, not that I would say anything about it. I didn't want to find myself in deep trouble over it.

"Is it almost ready?" asked Judge Diaphan, toying with her gavel. I noticed that she hadn't called out for the trial to officially begin yet, but I didn't say anything about it. I was silent as I looked up at her.

"It should be prepared to make contact with them any second now," explained KJ. "I'm sorry it's taking so long. It shouldn't be like this... I guess the TV is a bit older than it looks. It's hardly the peak of technological performance, but I had no idea it was going to be this bad."

"I just know that I want that thing to shut up as soon as possible," I heard Yuri grumble under her breath. Judging by the look on Chief Prosecutor Bespoke's face, he felt much the same way. I couldn't help but agree, not that I was going to say it verbally. I was too afraid to think about it, even if the assassins hadn't yet made their appearances.

"It looks like you'll have your wish," KJ cut in. The TV stopped screaming in static, prompting the screen to change. 

It didn't take long for figures to come into view. The first one was O, still slumped over in the same chair as before. There was a small amount of blood pooled on her hair. It looked like she was peacefully sleeping, but I got the feeling there was much more at hand. Luckily, her chest could still be seen slowly rising and falling. I found myself breathing a sigh of relief when I realized she wasn't dead. 

"Sorry about the delay. We had some technical difficulties," KJ explained from his place beside the TV. 

A second figure, one I recognized as the Alexandra Murdayre that had been introduced the day before, came onto the screen. Her arms were crossed as she glared daggers at the courtroom.  _"You're lucky we can be patient,"_ she murmured with a shake of her head.  _"But that matters not. It's time to hear your choice. What have you decided to do? Are you going to give the defendant a guilty verdict and let the hostages free? Or are you going to let the hostages die and allow the defendant to walk free? It's your choice to make. It matters not to us."_

I found myself frowning, unsure of what to say. I looked over at Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. He was hiding his emotions on the situation well. I felt my heart pound in my chest nervously as he spoke. "Actually, we were planning on asking you a few questions. Is that alright?" he questioned. 

Ms. Murdayre glared at him for a moment.  _"I don't remember us ever saying a conversation was in order here. What makes you want to talk to us? We're not friends sitting down for coffee at a local café. Don't act like that's what's happening here."_

"I wasn't trying to," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke told her innocently. He was keeping his composure rather well, I had to admit. "I was just curious about the crime. We never quite got a full explanation on how it was carried out, so we were going to ask you how you did it. I'm not trying to use it against you. We merely have a few questions."

Ms. Murdayre paused. I saw her tapping against her forearm with her index finger.  _"You know what? Fine. We have nothing to lose here. I guess it wouldn't hurt... Just know that if you rub us the wrong way, we won't let you skate right by. We have people here who would just love to die because of you. Unless you want to be responsible for their untimely demises, I suggest you watch yourselves. Are we clear here?"_  she asked. With the way she was questioning us, I was almost even more scared of her than I had been the day before. She looked like a regular person, but at the same time, I knew she was much more, and that was what frightened me.

"Alright. I'm glad to hear that," smiled Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. "I was going to start with a question about the information you got to hack the Interpol security system. How did you get your hands on that?"

I did my best not to let out a gasp when I realized what he was doing. Mr. Morix had been gone talking to him after all. There was no way he wasn't on our side here. His idea to ask them questions was his way of stalling. He was keeping them from moving against the hostages until X and Neptune could make some progress in finding the assassins. I assumed he hadn't mentioned it since he expected us to either figure it out on our own or know about it in advance. Judging by the small glimmer of hope shining in Lily's eyes, she seemed to have realized the truth as well. She was squeezing Yuri's hand silently as the girl stared at the TV solemnly. 

That was probably why Mr. Morix had his phone on him. He was likely waiting for a call from Neptune about any progress they had made. He wasn't exactly close with her, but she was friends with Chrysalis and probably wanted her safe just as much as he did. Plus, she knew the truth about O, so Mr. Morix was able to trust her with the sensitive situation, even if he was hesitant. It was brilliant.

 _"We paid a few agents in the technology division to tell us. They had been selling their company out ahead of time, so you can't blame us for that at all. We merely used it to our advantage. We paid them the necessary amount to get the information we needed. If you want the truth, we were planning on killing them after getting what we needed, but we knew they could be helpful, so we let them live. Of course, they weren't around to help us out for much longer since a certain spy here ruined everything,"_  Ms. Murdayre explained. 

She turned to focus her attention on O, who was still sound asleep. She flicked O in the temple, jolting the agent awake. Now that I looked at her, I could see the similarities she had to Chrysalis. Their eye shape was the same, they were about the same height, their skin was the same pale and fair color... It was like Yuri kept on saying. It was so obvious looking back on it. It makes you wonder how we didn't see it before.

O glanced around in a panic before her eyes settled on Ms. Murdayre. She tried to glare at the woman, but she was far too exhausted to put up much of an attempt. Ms. Murdayre wasn't having her attitude anyways. Before O could react, the woman raised one hand and delivered a brutal slap to her cheek. O whined in pain, but she didn't say anything. A look of defeat appeared in her eyes.

 _"They want to know about how you exposed those traitorous Interpol agents,"_ Ms. Murdayre explained bluntly to her.  _"Go on. Tell them about what you did."_

O gulped and took a deep breath.  _"I-I... I had been doing a little bit of snooping around Interpol when I realized something wasn't right... I found out a few agents under Q were selling information to third parties. I knew that if I came forward, people would wonder how I came across that information. They would grow suspicious, which was the last thing I needed. I decided to send letters to M so they would know I figured it out. I kept it vague and anonymous from Oracle so they wouldn't suspect somebody within their walls. They never realized it was from somebody on the inside, least of all me,"_  she told us. Her eyes were glassy and lacking focus. She looked ready to pass out at any moment. I assumed that was because of the injury on her head. We would need to have that looked at after she returned home.

"I see... You exposed them because you were concerned about the good of the company. That's rather noble of you," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke remarked. "What information exactly did you get from those agents, Ms. Murdayre? We heard it was enough to hack the security system, but we didn't get the details. Those who sold it have been hesitant to explain it as well."

 _"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. We asked them what it would take to get through the passcode-guarded system and into the security codes. Because they're all tech nerds, it wasn't difficult to figure out for them. They told us for the right price. That was about a week before they were caught for selling information. We didn't have much to go off, but we didn't have a choice. In fact, most of our attempts to hack the security system took place before the murder. It took us a while to get in though,"_  Ms. Murdayre replied.

"You had been attempting this for some time before?" I asked. 

 _"Yes. We did our best to get in there, but we couldn't ever get through. Lucky for us, we managed to do it without being detected, which is always a positive, I suppose... It's a shame things didn't work out earlier. We could have been finished up with this ages ago,"_  grumbled Ms. Murdayre with a shake of her head.

I saw Chief Prosecutor Bespoke look up at the gallery above Lily, Yuri, and I's heads. I didn't need to check to see that he was looking at Mr. Morix. I heard a small beeping noise, like a cell phone being turned on. A shiver went up my spine. I was hoping my prayers had been answered, that I had put this together correctly.

Because if I had, that could have been Neptune calling to tell us she had found Occisor and their hostages.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the final countdown! Just like they always sung about!
> 
> We only have five chapters left on this story, which is crazy to think about. Well, five chapters and an epilogue. Neat.
> 
> The next few chapters go over general explanations of stuff that wasn't fully gone into during the rest of the story. After that, we get a few other important moments involving Neptune and Cotoli. It'll be fun.
> 
> -Digital


	56. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 16

**September 2**

**Pegasus Wing Airport**

**Neptune Mercure**

**10:30 AM**

I dialed Mr. Morix's phone number as I explored the halls of the abandoned airport. I found myself fanning at the air frequently so I wouldn't have to breathe in as much dust. A few coughs escaped my throat as the phone rang. I prayed to whatever higher power was out there that he picked up.

Pegasus Wing Airport was a strange place to hold hostages. I gave Occisor one point for selecting an exotic location to avoid being capture. It had been abandoned for nearly twenty years after the owner went bankrupt. Somebody had sued when a plane malfunctioned and killed everybody inside, which sent all the company's money down the drain. It cost money to tear the place down though, so it remained standing even now. It seemed like a breeding ground for all the terrifying creatures that lurked in the dark in my eyes.

Buddy had been lucky he knew how to track those sorts of signals. Oh, excuse me,  _X_ was lucky he could track the signal. I didn't know what I would have done if he hadn't been around. It certainly would have made my job of finding O much harder than it needed to be.

 _"Hello?"_ Mr. Morix asked from the other side of the phone.  _"What's going on? Is the search going well?"_

"Something along those lines. We found the building. They're hidden somewhere inside the abandoned Pegasus Wing Airport. I can't say where exactly they are, but if we search for long enough, we're bound to find them. Any ideas on where they might be specifically?" I questioned of him. I was glad he was on my side through this. I got the feeling he didn't like me much for whatever reason, but I didn't bother asking. Right now, what mattered was bringing O home. I didn't want her to be suffering in the grasp of the assassins for any longer than was necessary. If we didn't play our cards right, she could easily be killed, which was the last thing I wanted.

 _"It looks like they're in a narrow room. I can see the walls through the camera. It's dark and hard to make out, but I feel like one of the smaller sidebar rooms will be the one,"_ Mr. Morix told me. _"If there are any planes on the property, you should check those first."_

I stared out the nearby window and onto the lot where the planes usually loaded. I smiled when I caught sight of a cluster of planes off in the distance. "There are some here, yes. I'll send my men over to see which one has her in it. Tell me if you figure anything else out."

" _She'll be home by the time the day is over, yes?"_  asked Mr. Morix. I could hear the worry pressing at the edges of his voice.  _"And she's going to be alive, right? You're sure about this? I need her back as soon as possible."_

He was as panicked as I was, which was saying a lot given how freaked out I had been ever since the abduction. I hadn't been able to sleep, but it wasn't like I felt tired to begin with. Adrenaline was keeping me going through all of this. If not for that, I would have passed out on the ground a long time ago. I didn't know how much longer I would be able to last, but I didn't care about it. I could think about that later. Sleep couldn't come in such a dark situation.

"I promise," I assured him. "For now, you need to focus on the trial. I don't want you getting in trouble for having your phone out. I know how harsh Judge Diaphan can be at times."

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say judging by his tone of voice. _"Do you know her?"_ he asked.

I fell silent. I didn't want to explain it to him, nor did I really have the time. I shook my head despite knowing he couldn't see the action. "We can talk about that later. For now, concentrate on the trial. If you learn anything else about where they might be, shoot me a text or call me. I don't care which. We'll have her back to you as soon as possible," I said hurriedly, praying the change of subject would spare me from an interrogation session.

I hung up in a rush before he could ask me anything else. I let out a sigh of relief and glanced around the airport. There were cobwebs everywhere. I was lucky to not be afraid of spiders with how many of them were crawling around on the ground. They weren't particularly large, but I knew of a few people who would freak out upon seeing them. 

Well, I knew one person in particular.

My shoulders slumped over as I thought about Chrysalis. I hoped those lawyers had heard the truth about her. I didn't know how they would be able to press on without knowing everything. I hadn't gotten the chance to ask Mr. Morix if he had explained it to them. I was halfway tempted to question him on the matter, but I didn't. I knew there were greater things to focus on at the moment. I could ask him if he told them later.

"Listen up!" I exclaimed. All the police officers in the room looked up. X, who was typing away at his computer on an empty bench, met my eyes for a brief moment before returning to the screen. "Somebody watching the trial says the room Occisor is in is small and narrow. He suggested they might be an airplane. Everybody is instructed to go out to the loading area immediately and search every single plane. While it won't be as effective, we must move as one unit to avoid being taken by surprise and killed. Now, let's move out!"

Everybody followed my instructions with a murmur. The soft din quieted a few moments later. I looked over at X before walking to his side. "How is it going?" I asked.

"I don't think they have anything for me to hack into. On top of that, I doubt I'll be able to figure out exactly where they are. Us getting this far is probably about all I can do," X frowned. I could tell his inability to help further was bothering him, but he didn't comment on the matter.

"I appreciate the help you've given me thus far. I know I wouldn't have gotten here if not for your assistance, X. Thank you for everything," I smiled at him. He gave me a weary glance before continuing to tap at his keyboard swiftly. I didn't have a clue how he could type that fast, but I didn't have time to ask him about it. Instead, I turned on my heel and started to follow the officers working with us out to the loading grounds. It was time to bring this to an end. After all this time, all this suffering, we were going to take care of Occisor once and for all. The thrill rising in my chest refused to be quelled, so I let it take me from one plane to the next as we peered into windows and prayed we found O.

**September 2**

**Courtroom No. 6**

**Lily Shield**

**10:35 AM**

_"Are there any other questions you have for us?_ ** _"_**  asked Ms. Murdayre from the other end of the TV. I could see she was tapping one finger against her forearm impatiently.

"There is a little more we want to know," Deirdre cut in. I could hear the desperation hiding behind her voice. Ms. Murdayre either didn't notice or simply chose to leave it alone. 

 _"Then get on with it. We have better things to be doing than talking to you,_ ** _"_**  Ms. Murdayre said harshly.

"How did you manage to sneak into Interpol to kill Y?" Deirdre asked. I got the feeling she already knew the answer from the knowledge we had been given by D's testimony the day before, but since the details were unclear, we could use it to postpone Ms. Murdayre's verdict. Even if it just spared us a few minutes, it would be worth it.

 _"It's rather simple really. After learning what Y looked like through paying agents to tell us, I dressed up as her and managed to get inside. You remember Colin Asasm from a few years back, yes? Well, he told you all he was unemployed, but that was not the case. He's always been working as our resident hacker, breaking into anything we need to get into,"_ Ms. Murdayre began to explain. _"He was able to bypass the security system that allowed people into the building and fool it into thinking Y was walking inside since I was dressed up as her. I was forced to do the deed since I looked the most like her, not that I really minded."_

"We completely forgot to ask about that yesterday," Yuri murmured. "We didn't think to ask how the fake Y got into Interpol without any issue. I'm glad we asked her about it since we wouldn't have known otherwise."

"He was a hacker all along," I whispered. "I suppose that makes sense. No regular person would be able to break into Interpol no matter how well you knew the coding. You would need somebody who did it for a living or was otherwise incredibly talented. It takes skill to hack into things."

"I can understand why they would need him then... I guess the reason he hasn't shown his face since the case last year is because he's been busy doing hacking work... In fact, I bet he's the one who helped create all those false identities for them," Yuri suggested. "I mean, if he could hack into the right databases, he could insert information that wasn't real. It's like editing an article on Wikipedia, but on a much grander scale... Okay, I admit, that's a bit of a strange comparison, but that's not important right now."

"What has he been doing this past year?" I asked. "Has he been hacking all this time?"

 _"Yes, as a matter of fact. It is as the little one says. He was the one who set up the false identities with his hacking skills,"_ Ms. Murdayre nodded.  _"And then, when we needed him most, he was able to break into Interpol and let me inside. He was also the one who turned off the power after I had escaped. The other three members of our little group were waiting outside to help me escape. We had found a large rope ladder I could use to drape over the edge of a building to get away after committing the crime. While I could have used the front door, we didn't know when somebody would be discovering the body of Y, so we went with a safer option."_

"And then you took the rope ladder with you so as not to arouse suspicion it was somebody from the outside," Deirdre realized. "You were hoping the police would accuse somebody on the inside of the company so you could get away without an issue."

 _"Originally, we were supposed to give our confession after the trial had ended, but we got our hands on our prize much sooner than anticipated,"_ Ms. Murdayre continued.  _"We figured that we might as well go on and brag since we weren't going to need to bother with anything relating to this case once again. Once we had our hands on Oracle, the plan was to kill her and move onto the next thing. We wouldn't need to think about Interpol or any local police ever again."_

"It's bold of you to say something like that," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke commented. "You truly are confident in your skills, aren't you?"

 _"Why wouldn't we be? We had everything we needed at our fingertips. It wouldn't be long before Oracle died and everything went back to the way it once was. We were in the homestretch. We couldn't resist the temptation to taunt the people who had supposedly been helped by Oracle these past two years,"_  Ms. Murdayre told us. _"Plus, it meant we could see drama on the news. I suppose you can call that a hobby of ours."_

I bit back a remark about how sick they were for the sake of Chrysalis and the other hostages. I took in a deep breath and let it out to quell my anger. "Hm... How exactly did you hack into the security system at the time of the crime? I mean, how did your partner know when to activate the hacking thing that turned everything off?"

 _"He waited for me to make my escape through the window. There was a slamming sound. I hear that disturbed two witnesses, N and our little O. Once they were out in the hallway, we turned off the power, though we didn't realize we had locked them out of their offices at the time. That was complete coincidence. We figured we could get one of the Interpol agents to take the hit for us. We didn't know which one it would end up being at the time, though we knew the police would suspect somebody inside the building. In the end, that person just so happened to be M, which worked out perfectly for us,"_ grinned Ms. Murdayre.  _"Not only were we taking care of Oracle, but the head of Interpol was out of the way too. It hadn't been part of the plan, but we weren't objecting. Interpol could be problematic at times, and if they decided to pursue us, we would be in trouble."_

I looked to Deirdre with a small frown. I knew she was thinking about how ironic that was. Ms. Murdayre was calling Interpol problematic, saying Occisor would be in trouble if Interpol went after them, completely unaware that X and Neptune were tracking her down as she spoke. I kept my mouth shut. She would realize the irony of her statement soon enough. For now, I could stay quiet and play along with holding off the verdict alongside everybody else in the courtroom. 

However, I didn't know where we would go from here. There wasn't much we could ask her about now that we didn't already know about. I had a few questions from two years ago, but I wasn't entirely sure if she would be willing to give an answer to those. I still didn't understand how Occisor had formed or how Pieter Fury tied into everything. Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone and ask them about it, learn the truth behind his relation to them, and hold off the verdict simultaneously. It sounded like a good enough idea to me. It just depended on if she decided to play along.

"I... I have a different question, though it isn't entirely related to the case. I hope that's alright," I said, fiddling with the hem of my dress with a frown.

Ms. Murdayre didn't say anything, but I saw the way one of her eyebrows raised, so I knew she was listening.

"Why did Occisor form in the first place?" I asked. "We know it was about the time of GC-9 that you all got together, but I'm afraid I was never told much aside from that."

Ms. Murdayre seemed to grow tense. She paused for a few moments, as if she didn't know what to say to that. I hoped that she wasn't about to flip out on us and do something to O. That would not have been good. All of Neptune's work would have been for nothing, and on top of that, Mr. Morix would probably lose it.

"Are you going to answer the question?" Judge Diaphan asked, speaking up for the first time in a while. I found myself biting my lip. A remark like that was bound to just make things worse. Was she trying to provoke the dangerous assassin into killing people or something?

Ms. Murdayre eventually shrugged and nodded.  _"Fine. I'll tell you. We came together a few months before the GC-9 incident two years ago. We were all on the run for various reasons, but we seemed to find solace in one another. I can't tell you much more than that. It could anger the others."_

She hesitated and tilted her head to one side, as if she was listening to something off the screen. After it was over, she let out a sigh and spoke once again.  _"Alright. I'll tell them. Occisor forged between five dangerous people with different skills. We couldn't make it in a world that wanted us gone on our own, so we came together. At first, the engagement was meant to be temporary, but it lasted much longer than we intended. We're still together today, though none of us are quite as active as we were when we first began our work."_

"Active? Do you mean that you killed more people than this back in the day?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked in shock.

 _"As a matter of fact, yes. It was before the GC-9 incident. A few people were getting in our way. They were trying to learn the truth about who we were. They were investigators mostly, trying to figure out what happened to a group of murderers who vanished mysteriously. They died for their attempts so we could stay hidden,"_ Ms. Murdayre explained. _"I don't particularly regret it. It was a nice change of pace after not doing much of anything for months. We were able to kill an entire family during those first few months... Well, almost an entire family. That lawyer was too stubborn and refused to be taken into the afterlife no matter what we did to him. He was always irritating."_

"Wait a moment... Lawyer?" Yuri asked. "Who is this lawyer you're talking about?"

 _"I don't know if you'd know him. He hasn't been around in quite some time. Have you heard of Pieter Fury?"_ Ms. Murdayre questioned.

I heard a gasp escape my lips, though I hadn't consciously made the sound. I glanced to Deirdre and Yuri, both of whom were as surprised as I was. I looked up at Ms. Murdayre on the screen next. I could see O's eyes widen from behind her. She mouthed something to me. Luckily, I was good enough at reading lips to get her message. _'Ask her more.'_

I nodded, halfway to myself and halfway to her. We continued staring at each other for a few more seconds, which made me realize how similar she looked to Chrysalis, which made sense given what we had heard. Her eye shape was the same as the girl I had been working alongside for so long. It was a shape similar to Mr. Morix's as well, though the relation was somewhat distant since they weren't full-blooded siblings. I wondered internally, not for the first time and certainly not the last, how it had taken us so long to learn the truth. I hadn't even put it together on my own. That had been Deirdre's doing. I had to be told before I figured it out, and even then, there were still many things I didn't understand and knew I wouldn't comprehend until I heard the full story for Chrysalis herself.

"What happened with Pieter Fury?" I questioned of Ms. Murdayre. "Don't leave out any details. Tell us everything."

 _"Don't tell me what to do,"_ snapped Ms. Murdayre. _"I was planning on telling you anyways. Nobody's seen Pieter Fury in nearly two years now. Why hold back now? There's no point when he can't get mad about it. He's probably dead in a ditch somewhere."_

I saw O slouch over slightly, a sheen of hopelessness covering her eyes. Tears began to flow down her cheeks, though she made no sounds, just staring helplessly at me pleadingly. I felt my heart break, but I didn't say anything to keep Ms. Murdayre from growing angry with her.

"Then go right ahead," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke told her. "We won't stop you." I noticed that his hand was clenched tightly, so I wondered if he was trying to learn something from this too. It would make sense given that he had once been a worker in Oracle alongside him before his abrupt disappearance. From the sound of it, nobody who had worked to found the project knew much about him before he encountered his adoptive family. His whereabouts and motivations for where he left for and why he disappeared were unknown as well. Occisor might have been the key to learning at least the first section. Mr. Morix had mentioned that Pieter seemed to know them when GC-9 took place, so it would make sense that they held some knowledge about his origins.

 _"Pieter Fury had learned about a group of killers who had escaped their trials the course of the few months prior. He grew curious and decided to track them down. He got the help of a few other police officers to find out where they had disappeared to. The police officers wound up being murdered at various points during the hunt for the lost culprits. It was Occisor responsible for their deaths, as I'm sure you simpletons already figured out. We couldn't have anybody realizing where we were or who we once were, so we eliminated them at the soonest opportunity,"_ Ms. Murdayre explained.

"And Pieter was wrapped into your mess from there," Yuri murmured. 

 _"He snooped where he shouldn't have, so he paid the price. He and the rest of his family were kidnapped by the other members of our little party. We killed his family hoping it would get him to talk about what he knew and who else knew it. He feigned ignorance, so we turned to... other methods of getting what we wanted. He knew what would happen, but he pressed on anyways. The fool didn't realize that by keeping quiet, he was giving up everything,"_ Ms. Murdayre continued. _"His family perished at our hands for his silence. He was with us for months, but after all that time, he still refused to speak the truth. He managed to slip away from us, but we didn't bother pursuing him. He didn't know what names we were going by these days. We had been careful to keep that information away from him."_

"So, while he was with you guys... You tried to torture the information out of him, didn't you?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked with a frown. "You're the reason that he wore that eyepatch all the time. He never told us the reasoning behind it, but it was because of what you all did to him during those months he was your hostage."

I thought back to the one picture of Pieter Fury. In it, he had indeed been wearing an eyepatch. It covered up one of his eyes completely. I figured it was just a stylistic choice, but it seemed as if there was a much darker meaning behind it.

 _"If you want the specifics, all it took was a small amount of acid. He was lucky it didn't spread to the rest of his face. He barely survived. In fact, if he hadn't escaped a few hours after the fact, he would have died,"_ Ms. Murdayre told us. _"We didn't bother going after him, as I already mentioned. He didn't know our names, and if he had managed to hold up an innocent façade for all those months, he probably didn't know anything. Still, I'm glad we did what we did. Nothing can quite beat the thrill that comes with that sort of bloodshed... Judge me all you want, but I'm sure you would feel the same if you had the chance to do what I have done."_

I didn't say anything for a few moments after that. I couldn't believe we were finally learning the truth behind Pieter Fury. I hadn't expected to find anything out about him for a long time. I figured we would be in the dark until Chrysalis managed to track him down, but now, even if his location was still unknown, we knew where he had come from. Judging by the torn apart look on O's face, she was thinking of her lost brother. It pulled at my heartstrings more to know that she had been taken on the way to find him. All of this had happened to prevent her from finding her brother wherever he was in Germany.

Now, his sudden departure made a lot more sense. His family had been killed for his research involving Occisor as they tried to make him talk. When he was taken in by Natasha Morix, he feared they would come back and hurt the family that had taken him in when he had nothing. He didn't know Occisor had given up on their pursuit of him. He ran away to keep them safe. Pieter Fury did not go mysteriously missing because he had died or because of the Oracle project. We had been under a false assumption all this time. He left because he was trying to protect those who were still left.

I figured it tied into the murder of Natasha Morix too. She was killed by Occisor, and he knew as much. He thought they were coming back for him and began with his adoptive mother. He stuck around for a brief period, but as soon as the case was deemed unsolved, he packed up his bags and left to keep Mr. Morix, Prosecutor Lin, and Chrysalis safe. Pieter had gone missing to protect Chrysalis from Occisor, and at the same time, Chrysalis was putting herself at risk from Occisor's machinations to make sure he was safe as well.

I looked past Ms. Murdayre and to O. She was eerily silent, staring down at her lap. She wasn't saying anything, but tears were flowing down her face. I assumed she was staying quiet to keep her true name safe as well as to keep from invoking the rage of Occisor. She was in the palm of their hand, so there wasn't exactly much she could do to fight back.

"Where is he now? Do you know what happened to him?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked. "You have to know something. You were the ones who took him and had him for so long."

 _"Can't say for sure. After he left us, we didn't look into his whereabouts. Like I said, we didn't bother. We figured he wasn't lying to us all this time, and he hadn't told anybody who we really were, or at least who he thought we were,"_  Ms. Murdayre went on.  _"He could do whatever he wanted for all we cared. It didn't involve us anymore. His actions were his own again. Why spend so much time and effort trying to track somebody down who couldn't hurt you at all? Besides, even if he did know our names, we use fake identities all the time. It wouldn't have done anything. Plus, we left our base of operations as soon as he escaped. He could do nothing to harm us at that point. It wasn't worth it."_

"Pieter..." I heard Mr. Morix whisper from above us. I turned around to see him leaning forward in his seat, staring at Ms. Murdayre with sad eyes. I got the feeling he was smart enough to have figured out exactly what I had determined. Tears were glossing over his eyes, but he was otherwise silent aside from the murmur of his younger brother's name. I hadn't ever seen him show any wide range of emotion until the day before, so this was still new for me, but I felt awful about it.

"Pieter is still lost in Germany... I wish we could have gotten more out of her, but we don't have a way of learning the truth from Occisor. They don't know. If years of research from Mr. Morix couldn't find him, I don't know if anything can," Yuri said quietly and hopelessly. I caught onto her sly censorship of Oracle with Mr. Morix's name. I figured Ms. Murdayre wouldn't think anything of it since she probably already knew of their relation. Their hacking expert had probably dug it up at some point.

"Don't talk like that. I'm sure that somebody will be able to find him at some point, and when he does turn up, we can talk to him about everything. He might not be willing to speak with people he doesn't know, but I'm sure Mr. Morix can get him to open up," I told her. "We can't lose hope with him yet. At the very least, we know he's in Germany, and that means he's still alive. We can still hear all that happened to him over the course of the past two years."

Even if our words were quiet, when I looked up to the screen, O seemed to be reacting to them. Her shoulders trembled as she cried. Salty tears dripped onto her shirt, but she didn't seem to care. She didn't even try to struggle against the ropes that held her in place. I wished I could reach through the screen to console her, but I knew that wasn't possible given this situation. I swallowed back my unhappiness and looked around at the others in the courtroom.

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke was glancing up at Mr. Morix again. I heard a buzzing sound, like a phone that was vibrating. I stole a glance at Mr. Morix and saw him taking yet another call. Could it have been Neptune? Had she found Occisor? Was she the one who had called before? I hoped that was the case, as I didn't know how much longer we'd be able to hold off this trial.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now you know what happened to Pieter. Poor guy.
> 
> I think the next chapter will have us all caught up. After that, you're going to have to wait until Thursday for most updates from here on out. Rip.
> 
> -Digital


	57. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 17

**September 2**

**Pegasus Wing Airport**

**11:05 AM**

**Neptune Mercure**

I called Mr. Morix again as I watched my coworkers circle the lot where the airplanes were stored. I could feel my heart pounding noisily in my chest. I was terrified and prepared for this at the same time. We were closer than ever before to finding her. All I needed was another hour. If we could have one more hour, we would be fine.

 _"Hello?"_  Mr. Morix asked from the other end. I could hear the edge behind his tone. He was just as nervous as I was. That hadn't been the encouragement I was hoping for, but we didn't exactly have time to relax and talk about this like civilized people.

"I'm close," I told him simply. "We've searched about half the planes here. We were lucky there were only about a hundred. I'm surprised nobody's come to break them down for parts yet, I must say, but it doesn't matter. We'll need another hour at most. They have to be in one of the other planes."

 _"You have fifty left to look through then?"_ Mr. Morix questioned. Hope was creeping into his voice. I could only hope I wouldn't be letting him down.

"You got it. We should be done soon. You'll know it when we've found them. So long as you can continue your distraction, I'll be fine. When we find the plane, we won't hesitate to break in and show them what for. We'll have the element of surprise. We can use that to our advantage and lock them up. If we run in there without wasting time, we should be able to take care of things quickly. They won't have time to retaliate," I explained. "Do you see any weapons on the TV they're using?"

Mr. Morix paused. I could tell he was looking as close as he could with the darkness coming from the other end.  _"They have a knife and a gun. It wouldn't surprise me if they had more. I don't know where the other four members of the group are. I can only see one onscreen. She's the only one we've seen all day,"_ he told me. _"Be careful when you go in there. I doubt they'll be prepared for an ambush, but I don't want you putting your life at risk."_

"I'll be okay. Promise," I assured him. "Don't worry about me. I'll bring her back as soon as I can. I know you can't exactly communicate with the defense, but if they can keep it up for just a little while longer, everything will be fine."

 _"I'll tell Ghastly. He can read my lips well enough to get the message that you're close. He's helping them out on the distraction front,"_ Mr. Morix said.  _"Thanks for the update. I'll wait for your grand entrance. Stay safe, alright? I don't want you dying so soon."_

I knew that what he meant by that was 'I don't want you dying before I can question you on how you know so much about our top-secret spy project', but I didn't call him on it. "Talk to you later," I replied instead before powering the phone off and shoving it back into my pocket. 

I didn't want to have to explain the truth to him. Ever since he heard that I knew the truth through Chrysalis, which had been shortly after that case on the lake, he had seemed desperate to get me alone and ask questions. He seemed to have given up on trying to keep the truth from me, which I was fine with. There was no point in acting like we both didn't know something we very obviously knew. It was a ridiculous ruse I wasn't behind.

How had I actually found out the truth? It's a long and complicated story I'd rather not get into. I've been living with Buddy—erm, X, for a few months now, and not even he knows. He's fully aware I know the truth behind the project, but he hasn't pressed me on it. I guess he doesn't want to figure it out. I can't blame him. It's risky knowing anything on the matter. He's always been the type to play things safe, so I understand why he would want to keep his distance.

I had invited Chrysalis over to talk about it shortly after the case on the lake. I had seen how rattled she was, even if she was doing her best to hide it. Nobody else seemed to catch on, but I knew she needed someone to talk to. She had been distant at first, holding me at arm's length, but we've grown closer since then. She's told me I remind her of Venus, one of her friends and former coworkers with the Oracle project. Of course, she didn't exactly phrase her relationship with Venus that way. 

In fact, she still refuses to tell me anything on the matter. She acts like I don't know a thing. I guess that's just her trying to cope with the fact that some random person she had never met before suddenly knew who she really was behind the mask. I haven't bothered her with it. I don't want to upset her. I got the feeling that poor girl had already been through enough.

I've been doing my best to help her out. When she does ask about Oracle, she wants to know how I know so much. She doesn't acknowledge that it's her, but she does ask. I've told her that I figured it out since I live with the family behind a company working to gather information. With the right information, anybody could put together the pieces. Chrysalis has tried to hide her unease on the matter, but I can still see how nervous she is. She doesn't want anybody else to find out the same way I did. It's her safety that's on the line. I get why she would be so freaked out.

I heard her talking on the phone one time with Mr. Morix though. Apparently, they suspected Cassidy of being a spy who sold them out to me. I can assure you, that is not what happened at all. I found out the truth and brought it up to Cassidy, who happened to be my friend. She told me that she was part of it when I was able to lay out a detailed explanation as to how the project functioned. She seemed suspicious, but at the same time, I had shown her I was trustworthy, so we were allies.

Her death had been a shock. The members of the Oracle project seemed just as rattled as I had been. It really showed how risky all of this was. And yet, even with the dangers, here I was, in an abandoned airport trying to rescue a spy from the clutches of evil assassins. I suppose I'm not the best at self-preservation. I had been loyal up until this point though, and I wasn't going to quit being loyal now. I wanted to help out my friend and to honor the memory of one I had held dear.

I shook off my thoughts as the rest of my party continued to search through the planes. I didn't have time to be distracted. There was a task I had to complete. I wasn't going to be failing this. For the sake of Chrysalis, Mr. Morix, and Cassidy's memory, I had to succeed. It was my only option.

**September 2**

**Courtroom No. 6**

**Yuri Rinko**

**11:10 AM**

"Is there anything else we can question her on relating to Pieter?" Lily asked. 

I shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, she doesn't know where he is. Nobody does. The closest person to figuring it out is sort of out of commission at the moment. I mean, unless you guys have anything to ask her about Pieter, I think we can move on," I answered.

"Pieter... He left because of Natasha Morix's death, yes?" Deirdre questioned. "In that case, let's ask her about that case. GC-9, I think it was. If we can learn more about that, it might help us discover more about Pieter, even if he's over a thousand miles away right now."

"That sounds good to me," I nodded.

"What happened two years ago during the GC-9 incident?" Deirdre asked, looking up to the TV and Ms. Murdayre. I looked past the assassin at O, who was still crying visibly from the revelations about Pieter. I felt really bad for her. I could tell this was hurting her a lot.

_"GC-9? Well, I guess I can tell you about it, if you really think it's that important," Ms. Murdayre shrugged. "It was two years ago, as I'm sure you've already heard. The victim was Natasha Morix. You'll hear about that from everybody who knows about the case. However, no official case records state this next part. The culprits were my coworkers and I."_

"We heard about that yesterday. Pieter seemed to know that. I guess he recognized the way they did things after having spent so much time with them," I hissed to Deirdre and Lily. "I feel bad for the kid. All he wanted to do was get away from them after all he had suffered through, but he couldn't escape them even with a new family..."

"Why did you go after her?" Lily questioned, playing around with her hair as she spoke.

 _"The Sparx Factory was working on making a new virtual reality software. We wanted it, but we knew we probably wouldn't be able to get our hands on it legally since it was only supposed to be sold to specific groups. The company had said that much during interviews on the product. We decided to break into the factory when we heard it was working and had been finished. That was when that woman got in the way. She had been working on it when we walked in. She noticed us and tried to call for security,"_ Ms. Murdayre continued.  _"We couldn't have ourselves getting caught, so we lashed out and killed her. She shouldn't have gotten into our business if she wanted to live. We strangled her to death and hung her body from the ceiling to make it look like a suicide."_

"What did you want the virtual reality technology for?" I came in next. "What would you have to gain for it? And why was it only being sold to specific groups anyways?"

 _"Before we were forced to run away from our old lives, one of our members was a psychologist. I'm sure you remember Tammy Ghunshotte from that case on the lake,"_ Ms. Murdayre replied.  _"She was always interested in the breaking point of the human psyche. She was curious. Plus, she managed to convince us in other ways to go after the technology. I don't remember the reasoning now. It was a while ago. The point is, we decided to get it no matter what we had to do."_

"The breaking point of the human psyche... How were you going to find that?" Deirdre questioned. I got the feeling her interest in psychology had her intrigued by this concept, though I got the feeling it wasn't exactly in a good way. Judging by the hardness that had surfaced in her eyes, she looked angry anybody would even try to find such a thing.

 _"We set up an experiment, as simple as that. We had a few other psychologists interested in the same thing work alongside us. We took a few students from a boarding school called Ashbrooke and invited them to Sparx with the help of those psychologists, who were working at the factory. We put them into the stolen virtual reality system and tested it,"_  Ms. Murdayre explained. 

Across the room, I saw Prosecutor Wood grow tense. She stared down at the desk before her with glassy eyes. She looked ready to scream, cry, or both.

 _"I don't know what the results were or what happened to those kids. It's not important, if you want my opinion. I guess that they got the answers they were seeking though, as they didn't continue any other experiments relating to that after the fact,"_ Ms. Murdayre shrugged.  _"I don't know where she got off to. If you have any questions on that, maybe we can ask her. I don't know. Will you even want to do that?"_

Prosecutor Wood looked up with sudden and desperate eyes. "I-I want to!" she cried out.

Ms. Murdayre looked to her and frowned.  _"Oh. I see... I thought you would want to let it go. Anybody would want to forget about it, but I guess you just want to be special. Is that how you always were, or is that something new? Is it a side effect?"_  she taunted. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but I didn't like it. 

Prosecutor Wood didn't seem to be fond of it either, as her hands had clenched into tight fists. I could see her shoulders were beginning to shake even from my place on the other side of the courtroom. Ms. Murdayre was talking in mysteries to the rest of us, but it clearly had meaning to Prosecutor Wood.

"Leave her alone," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke cut in, raising one hand to silence Ms. Murdayre. "Let's just move on. Why was the technology only being sold to specific groups? Did the factory have a known reason for keeping it away from the general public?"

 _"It was made for the sole purpose of repairing trauma. Apparently, some of the people working at the factory thought that a virtual reality could help trauma victims overcome the past and improve their lives again. I don't know what gave them that impression, but they started thinking it,"_ Ms. Murdayre shrugged.  _"Of course, after we took it, we planned to use it for just the opposite. I suppose you could call it a cruel twist of irony. Its creators meant for it to help people, but we instead used it to create a mental hellscape to torture the people inside into breaking down completely."_

"Why in the world did you then take it back to the factory to use against those students from the boarding school?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke questioned. Prosecutor Wood was still shaking with fury from his side. It wasn't until he put a comforting hand on her shoulder that she managed to calm down slightly. 

 _"It's simple. They had made two versions of the technology, one to remain at the factory and the other to be used for testing outside the factory's walls. We simply took the one that was meant for outside and left the other one. After that, we staged the false field trip and waited until the needed information had been gathered,"_  Ms. Murdayre went on. _"I've already explained everything that happened afterwards, so I don't feel the need to go over that again."_

"I remember hearing about that when the case was going on. The remaining workers at the factory were in an uproar trying to find the stolen technology. We even got a picture of what it looked like during the murder case so we could search for it," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke said. He was acting like Prosecutor Wood wasn't at all upset beside him. I didn't know how he was doing that. She looked ready to punch a hole through the TV, but he was still keeping his cool. I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed.

 _"After we got rid of the intruder, we found that we had attracted other people to the scene. They had heard the commotion and came to investigate. The official case report went over who the victims of assault were,"_ Ms. Murdayre continued.  _"Yuri Rinko had one eye cut, Sora Lin was hit in the head, Chrysalis Starr was drugged, Anton Burke was hit in the head as well, and Mukuro Erikson passed out from air loss. I can see at least one of them in the courtroom here today... Hello there, Ms. Rinko. How are you doing now that you've lost your sisters?"_

I clenched one hand into a fist to keep from screaming in anger. I knew that was what she wanted. She was trying to provoke me by bringing up Venus and Cassidy. While Venus' death hadn't been on them, Cassidy's most certainly had been. It was one of the members of Occisor who had killed her during the case at the carnival. We hadn't seen Masa Stabbin since the day before, which was probably for the best. I had to keep my cool for this case, which I wouldn't easily be able to do if Mr. Stabbin appeared to taunt me.

"I remember I went to check out the case file for GC-9 during the case on the lake. We weren't allowed onto the scene of the crime because of one of the detectives, Tammy Ghunshotte, as a matter of fact, kicked us out. I only read over the first three names on the assault list at the time. I didn't recognize the last name and didn't really acknowledge Anton was on there. I was a bit preoccupied, I suppose," Lily said with a nervous smile.

 _"I think I remember her telling me about that,"_ Ms. Murdayre commented. She tapped one hand against her chin, her eyes shut as she thought.  _"Your name is Lily Shield, yes?"_

"Um... Yeah. Why do you ask?" Lily asked, a suspicious frown appearing on her face.

 _"Tammy had something to tell you today, but she seems to be a bit busy, so I'm going to be the one to deliver the message,"_ Ms. Murdayre said. _"It's probably not the best thing to hear from me, and I think she should have been the one to explain it, but there isn't much I can do about it now. Oh well. What can you do?"_

"What are you on about?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke demanded, shooting Ms. Murdayre a harsh glare.

 _"I'm sure that anybody who has been involved in legal affairs for quite some time will have heard of the murder of Talon Shield many years ago. He was a famous judge at the time. He was known for giving out countless guilty verdicts, but one day, he was found shot to death in a courtroom shortly before a trial. Nobody knew who the culprit was. There weren't any suspects. No culprit was ever caught. All people who might have had a motive also had alibis,"_ Ms. Murdayre explained.  _"In other words, it was going to be nearly impossible to find out who had killed him. In the end, the case was dropped. Nobody bothered to pick up the case again. There simply wasn't enough evidence."_

"Do you know him?" I questioned, turning to Lily.

"He... He was my father, actually," Lily told me softly. "I was about thirteen when he died. At the time, I had been with my mother and brother. I never knew much about the case, if I'm being perfectly honest. Since I was so young, people tried to keep details from me for my own mental health. When I got older, I told myself I would look into the case, but I guess I kept on holding it off. Part of me didn't really want to learn the truth. I was scared of what I might find."

 _"That day, he was trying to figure out who had killed a mentally ill patient living at a mental hospital. He was about twenty-five and was recovering from severe trauma following a plane crash. He was randomly found dead in his room with no explanation. There wasn't a suspect there either, but they had to press on with the trial. Talon Shield was the judge. Afraid he would find out the truth, Tammy Ghunshotte tracked him down before the trial began. At the time, she was under her real name. She was the first of us to commit murder. She killed the patient in her own unique ways. I mentioned she was a psychologist before. She had pressured him to the point that he mentally snapped. He was one of her experiments. Thinking Talon Shield would find out the truth, she shot him to death shortly before the trial,"_ Ms. Murdayre told us.

"No way..." Lily whispered with wide eyes. Her hands flew to her face to cover her mouth. I saw her eyes glass over with tears.

"That's horrible," I murmured, placing one hand on Lily's shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss, Lily... I..."

"Don't be... I never really got along well with my father, if I'm being perfectly honest. We never stopped arguing... There are other people who deserve your words much more than me," Lily said with a smile, but I could sense the sadness behind her gaze. She wiped at her eyes. "I always wanted to know the truth behind my father's death. I didn't understand why our family had been broken down so soon, but now... I know who did it and why... But I still feel somewhat empty..."

"I can't believe you found out this way... I mean, on one hand, I'm glad you got to hear about it. If you hadn't, you probably never would have known what happened. However, I can definitely understand that it would be overwhelming. It makes you feel mad, doesn't it?" I asked Lily, rubbing one hand on her shoulder.

Lily rubbed at her eyes and nodded slowly in my direction before focusing her attention back on Ms. Murdayre. "Why didn't she mention this before? I was on the defense last time she killed somebody. I exposed her for killing that private investigator, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she ran off like nothing had happened, like we didn't have any sort of connection," she frowned.

 _"I don't know what her reasons were. I guess she just didn't want to explain it out of fear you'd get mad at her... Then again, she isn't exactly the remorseful or fearful type... Don't ask me. I don't know the way she works. She's a master manipulator. She knows what she's doing, and she's sort of crazy. Okay, very crazy. But then again, how sane do you think somebody who experimented on children can really be?"_ Ms. Murdayre scoffed.

"Come to think of it, that makes sense... I couldn't really describe it during the trial, but I was getting an off feeling about Detective Ghunshotte. The way she was behaving during the second session... It was subtle, but she was certainly manipulating people," Deirdre remarked. "I guess that holding off on telling you about her link to your father was part of her plan. Maybe she was going to use it against you at some point in the future. It would make sense. Our agency had been a thorn in Occisor's side for a year. We had exposed two of its members at the time. Maybe they wanted some control over us for the future."

"Of course, that didn't end up being necessary. They got what they wanted through this case anyways," Lily said with a shake of her head. "It's all gone downhill so much since then... So much has happened relating to Oracle. I can't say how things are going to turn out after this case, but I know that things will never be the same again. Call it a gut instinct or something along those lines."

"There is one more question I have, if you don't mind," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke came in, tapping his fingers mindlessly against the prosecution bench before him. "It's not exactly related to anything we've discussed so far, but I would like an answer before the trial is done."

 _"And what question would that be?"_  Ms. Murdayre questioned, staring at him with dark and inquisitive eyes.  _"You won't get anywhere if you go around it like you've been doing thus far, you know."_

"Why have you been talking to us all this time?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked. "Yesterday, you made it seem like you wanted an answer as soon as the trial started, and yet, you haven't asked about what we decided on once. Do you have a reason for talking to us for so long?"

I felt my heart skip a beat. He couldn't really be doing this, right? He was putting everybody at risk by getting testy with her! She had power over us because of the hostages hidden wherever they were camping out! Unless he had a plan that he was sure would work, he was taking risks I knew he shouldn't have even thought about.

Ms. Murdayre shrugged to herself.  _"The others had business to attend to regarding the hostages. I didn't want to do anything until they got back. I could have easily taken all the glory for myself, but I know how they work. They would have just killed me for getting in the way of their shining moment. If you ask me, Tammy is probably at work trying to find out more about the human mind. We've already been over this, but she's pretty curious about all that," s_ he replied.

"I understand," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded. I saw his gaze briefly dance up to the area above us in the gallery. I knew for sure he was looking at Mr. Morix. While none of us had talked extensively about it, we had come to an unspoken agreement that Chief Prosecutor Bespoke was communicating subtly with Mr. Morix, who was communicating over the phone with Neptune to try and find Chrysalis and the other people being held hostage.

"Speaking of the hostages, who are they?" I couldn't help but ask. "You said yesterday that you weren't going to be telling us since we could figure it out on our own or something, but I still haven't heard a thing about who the hostages are. Would you mind opening up and explaining that to us? Please?"

Ms. Murdayre eyed me for a moment before letting out a harsh bark of laughter.  _"I'm sure that you of all people would really want to know who we have with us,"_ she commented.  _"It'll change everything you thought you had come to know over the last few months since Occisor came back into the eyes of the public. You were probably sure of some things, or at the very least, you thought you were sure of them. However, that's all going to change when you learn who we have hiding alongside us... I wish I could see the look on your face when we finally tell you..."_

My eyes went wide. "What in the world is all that supposed to mean?" I asked. I didn't know of anybody aside from Chrysalis who had been taken. I was sure my mother would have told me if an extended family member or friend was being held hostage. Part of me was sure she was just on a tangent, the same routine most killers went through before being caught, but I was still a bit nervous about it. She was holding back something, but what was it? What did it have to do with me of everybody present?

 _"You'll figure it out soon enough. I don't think it's something I should be explaining right now. Others have more of a right to explain it to you,"_ Ms. Murdayre replied.  _"I don't want to take away their thunder. That's not exactly something that's safe when you're working with a group of murderers, no matter how much you think you know or trust them."_

I glanced around in confusion at the people around me. Deirdre and Lily looked just as confused as I did. I checked out Chief Prosecutor Bespoke and Prosecutor Wood next. The latter had decided to start shifting through her papers once again, clearly embarrassed over her outburst from a little while ago. I still didn't know what that had been about. She had been nervous and anxious, that was for sure, but I didn't know why. It was probably unimportant anyways. If I got really curious, I could just ask her about it after the trial. It would be fine. 

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, however, was doing something much more interesting. He was looking up at Mr. Morix with a frown. I turned around to stare at Mr. Morix, who held up two fingers. What in the world did that mean? Two what? Two hours? Two people? Two assassins? Two Interpol agents? Two murders previously committed by Tammy Ghunshotte?

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke seemed to understand what he was saying, however. I frowned at him, hoping he would give me some hint as to what he and Mr. Morix were on about. He met my eyes for a brief moment, but he gave no hints as to what he and Mr. Morix had been communicating over. 

"Who do you have held hostage?" Deirdre asked after focusing back on the task at hand. Her sudden interruption snapped me from my daze. I had been too focused on the two men in the courtroom to remember we were supposed to be pestering Ms. Murdayre for more details on the hostage situation. I ultimately decided to leave Mr. Morix and Chief Prosecutor Bespoke alone for now. They seemed to know what they were doing, so it was probably okay if I left them to their own devices for the time being.

Ms. Murdayre opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off when light suddenly flooded the room she was in. O looked up with hope in her eyes. Both started at something offscreen. They seemed to be surprised, but I didn't know what was happening. The camera only showed the courtroom so much, unfortunately.

I might not have known what was going on, but I did know one thing. 

Whatever was about to happen was going to be big.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, we're all caught up. It's about frickin' time.
> 
> This chapter was supposed to go up last night, but I got distracted by typing a chapter of Alitia. Oops.
> 
> -Digital


	58. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 18

**September 1**

**Pegasus Wing Airport**

**11:45 AM**

**Neptune Mercure**

When we finally found the right plane, X and I stood outside of it silently. There was dull light inside the plane. We peered in through the window and managed to avoid being spotted by the people within it. Murdayre seemed too focused on monologuing to the camera to notice me. O was on the verge of passing out. She looked sick and ready to collapse. If she wasn't being held in place, I suspected she would have fallen to the floor already. I felt a pang of pity for her before pulling out my phone. I shot Mr. Morix a quick text telling him that we would be finished in a matter of minutes. We would be bursting inside in two minutes or so. I didn't wait for a reply, instead shoving my phone back into my pocket and turning to X.

"We should be ready," X told me with a nod. "Let's do this."

"There's no time to lose," I murmured, turning to the people around me. "Don't put your guns away until we have all five of them in handcuffs. They could have something up their sleeves. Don't do anything reckless."

I didn't hear anybody openly object to my words, so I took that as a sign we were ready to go. I closed my eyes for a moment, doing my best to visualize how we would come out of this fine. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. There was so much on the line here. Lives were at stake. If we messed this up, people could die. It was nerve-wracking. I just wanted to skip ahead to after the successful rescue when we were taking people back home. 

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option, so I reached out for the door of the plane. Luckily for me, it was lower down than most doors were. It was easily accessible with a small ramp. I grabbed the knob and roughly yanked it before throwing the door wide open.

Light instantly spilled into the cabin of the plane. O was tied up at the center. There weren't many seats in sight since this was a luxury plane meant for a small group traveling specially. Murdayre, who had initially been facing the camera, whirled around to look at me. 

"You... You aren't supposed to be here!" she roared at me. She reached for a knife sitting on a nearby table a few feet from O. "You should have died a long time ago!"

I let out a bark of laughter. "Life doesn't always turn out how you expect it to," I told her. I held up one hand to signal the officers behind me to raise their guns.

Murdayre froze. She stared for a moment, a frown painting her features. She had brought a knife to a gun fight, so she was at a serious disadvantage. Her fingers twitched towards the knife, but she didn't say anything.

I wasn't having any of it. I pulled out a small sphere from my pocket alongside a lighter. I messed with the device until a flame flickered from it. The wick of the sphere waited for the fire to consume it. I tossed it onto the ground a few seconds later and watched as smoke enveloped the room.

I instantly ran for O, who had been watching us in silent shock up until this point. I pulled a pocket knife from my pocket after dropping the lighter inside and began to cut at her bonds.

O tried to say something, but she could only whine in pain. Once I had cut the ropes on her, I picked her up. She didn't even try to struggle. A few seconds later, she slumped into my grasp. I gave her a quick glance and saw she had fallen unconscious.

I heard a few gasps of shock. A gunshot rang out. I ran from the plane and to the outside away from the smoke. X was sitting just outside, messing around with his computer wildly. 

"You're a babysitter now," I told him. Before he had a chance to object, I dropped O in front of him. He sputtered a response as I dashed back towards the plane.

The smoke was starting to clear when I returned. I could see a few police officers were holding onto a woman with red hair. I smirked to myself. It seems our surprise gambit had worked out perfectly.

"Your dramatics couldn't save you in the end," I remarked as I approached Murdayre, who glared at me with the force of seven suns. I saw blood staining her shoulder. While there was no bullet in it, I could see a patch of red on top of her shoulder, like the bullet from earlier had grazed her.

"You won't get away with this," she told me with venom in her voice. "The others will—"

"Be caught in a matter of minutes. It won't take long for us to get our hands on them too," I assured her, placing one hand on her uninjured shoulder. "For now, I want you to relax. You shouldn't waste your energy before your inevitable trial in a few days."

"You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't even be alive," snapped Murdayre. She struggled against the officers holding her, but it only took me touching her bloodied shoulder for her to hiss in pain and stop.

"Life is full of surprises," I said bluntly. "A few of you should stay here. The rest of us are going to move out to the cargo hold. I assume that's where you're keeping our other hostages, yes?"

Murdayre didn't answer. I didn't need her to say anything anyways. I already knew well what she would have said, so I ignored her. We had a few other criminals to take down anyways. I didn't have time for her. She could wait until after I had saved the hostages.

Luckily, it seemed as if our jobs were being made much easier. Asasm came walking out of the cargo hold alongside Kyllar. "What's going on out here?" Asasm asked. He froze on the spot when he saw we had Murdayre.

"We're taking all of you to prison, in case it isn't already obvious," I explained. "If you want to keep your lives, you'll hand yourselves over now. We have been authorized to use deadly force should you struggle."

Asasm reached for something at his hip, but he was ultimately cut off by a warning gunshot that whizzed by his head. He froze on the spot despite his best efforts to hide it. 

"You heard me," I said with a shrug. "I don't care what happens to you. Dead or alive, I will be getting what I want today."

"You look familiar," remarked Kyllar. He held his hands in the air as he walked closer. I heard an agent behind me fiddle with his gun, preparing to strike should he try anything.

"Oh?" I prompted, raising one eyebrow.

Kyllar suddenly lunged at me, but I reacted too quickly for him. I stepped to one side and dealt a swift kick to his abdomen. I punched his throat shortly thereafter, leaving him coughing and sputtering for breath. He fell to the ground, clutching at his throat. 

I signaled for a pair of agents to go forward and arrest him. Asasm was the only one left, at least out of the three in our sight. He seemed to understand I wasn't someone to mess with. He stepped forwards with his hands in the air, a sign of surrender. He looked dejected, but I didn't bother commenting on it. Things were going rather well as it was. I didn't want to waste my time and squander the rest of the rescue.

A few agents cuffed him as I stepped closer to the cargo hold. I didn't raise the gun at my hip. I had never been the type to shoot a gun. In fact, they terrified me. I barely knew how to shoot one. I was going to leave the threatening and warning shots to the others. I was here to scare them into submission, maybe glare a little bit, and most importantly, save the hostages.

The remaining agents followed me into the cargo hold. Ghunshotte and Stabbin were the only ones left. Ghunshotte was crouched over a girl with white hair who was crying violently. Stabbin was standing near the door, watching them silently. 

When Stabbin noticed us, his shoulders went rigid with tension. He turned to face us slowly. He reached for his gun, but he was ultimately cut off when I scoffed. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," I told him with a smile.

Stabbin glared intensely. He looked ready to bolt. I forecasted his actions before he made them, so by the time he was trying to run past us and make a run for it, I was standing in the perfect position to swiftly punch him in the throat. A warning gunshot had him pausing. He coughed in pain as he was handcuffed. 

Four down, one to go. I turned to Ghunshotte, who was stroking the white-haired girl almost feverishly. The girl was sobbing openly. She looked up and met my eyes as Ghunshotte pulled out a gun to hold it to the girl's temple. The girl's pleading eyes shocked me immensely.

No... That couldn't be, right? There was no way I could possibly know this girl... That's just not possible. It doesn't make any sense. It's not possible. 

Then again, life does have a way of surprising you.

"If you shoot, the girl gets it," Ghunshotte said harshly.

"We have all four of your coworkers right here. If you make any moves against the hostages, we won't hesitate," I told her with a frown. There were other figures hunched in various places in the room. I couldn't make any of them out clearly. I heard a small boy whimpering as an older woman tried to comfort him, but I couldn't see them. 

Ghunshotte didn't say anything. She pressed the gun closer to the girl's temple. She looked at me with wide and fearful eyes, pleading with me to do something.

I had to save her somehow. I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I had to. If I really did know her, I just had to get here out of there. I wouldn't let her die, not on my watch.

"It seems we're at a stalemate," I murmured under my breath. I took a small step closer, making Ghunshotte hold the girl tighter. She whined wordlessly, practically begging me to help her. I resisted the urge to bolt forwards and kill Ghunshotte myself for making such a cowardly move. 

I heard the echoing sound of a gunshot a few seconds later. I couldn't help but flinch at the sound. I glanced around the room, trying to figure out where it had come from, but Ghunshotte keeled forwards a few seconds later. There was a bullet lodged in her shoulder. She wasn't moving or making a sound, so I assumed she had passed out from the shock.

I left the others to tend to her as I rushed towards the girl with white hair. The poor girl was crying wildly. I reached out to her and pulled her in close, stroking her hair as I rocked her gently. "It's okay. You're safe now," I cooed as her sobs began to quiet. She relaxed into my grasp as I led her out of the plane. The other officers were behind me with the five assassins in handcuffs, though Ghunshotte had to be carried out due to her unconscious state.

I dropped the crying girl off outside with X before returning to the inside of the plane. I looked at the camera perched atop the TV and stared at the courtroom detailed on the screen.

It was filled with surprised faces. They all looked like they had never seen anything like that, and to be fair, they probably hadn't. I smiled lightly and placed one hand up by the camera, ready to turn it off after I had finished speaking. "We're in the clear. The assassins have been taken in by the police and the hostages are safe," I said to the camera. I turned it off a few seconds later and watched as the screen went black.

I let out a heavy sigh and left the plane. X had shut his laptop and placed it into his messenger bag to calm the white-haired girl. I could see her features clearly now. I definitely recognized her, even if I didn't think it was possible. 

However, I didn't comment on it. I would need the area to clear out before I could ask her who she really was. I didn't want anybody overhearing. That would be bad for all of us. Instead, I focused on O, who was still unconscious at X's feet. I couldn't imagine the ground was very comfortable, but at the same time, I doubted she really minded. After being tied to a chair for a day, the floor would be fine to most people.

I picked her up bridal style and started for the car. We didn't have any medical personnel with us, so we would have to take them off ourselves. A few squad cars nearby were being driven by some of the officers I had worked with. They roughly shoved the five assassins inside, one per car. I felt a triumphant smile appear on my face. Finally, they were gone and out of our hair. It had taken a kidnapping an attempt at blackmail, but we had won. It didn't even feel real.

The girl with white hair leaned on X as we made our way back to the car. I glanced back over my shoulder. The rest of the officers were too busy to notice that we were sneaking O out. I could always come up with an explanation later if they asked what happened to her. I couldn't leave her for the police to find. She would end up being arrested, and that was the last thing I wanted. She was working to weed out corruption in the legal system, and she couldn't exactly do that behind prison bars. 

I hopped into the driver's seat after placing O in the passenger's seat. I tore away her wig and snatched a blanket I had been keeping in the back seat to drape over her body until she could change clothes. I hid the wig under her seat and buckled her in before looking back at X and the girl with white hair.

The both managed to climb into the back seat, though the white-haired girl was still crying lightly. X looked clueless as to what to do. I let out a sigh and shook my head. He was hopeless.

I started up the car and took a deep breath. Finally, it was all over.

**September 2**

**Courtroom No. 6**

**12:00 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

Silence covered the courtroom after the rescue operation had finished. Nobody had spoken much during Ms. Mercure's endeavors, instead watching on attentively. I turned to Lily and Yuri after the fact with wide eyes. Both of them seemed just as surprised as I was. Somehow, we had managed to get out of this without anybody getting hurt. Okay, I know that technically Detective Ghunshotte was hit in the shoulder by a bullet, and the same applied to Ms. Murdayre, but I mean the hostages. None of them had been hurt during the rescue operation. I had been hoping that would be the case this whole time, but I had my doubts about it actually coming to fruition.

"It appears that we're at the end of this trial," Judge Diaphan suddenly said, picking up her gavel. "Yesterday, we got a confession from Occisor stating they had committed this crime. I believe that's enough reason to close this case. Their trials will be soon, but for now, the innocence of the defendant is certain."

"I must agree, Your Honor," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded. "Let's get the verdict over with. I'm sure everybody has other business to attend to now that the trial's over."

Judge Diaphan nodded. "I assume there are no objections from the defense." She turned to us with a waiting gaze.

I didn't even have to glance to my coworkers to know what their answer was. "The defense has no objections," I assured her.

"In that case, this court hereby finds the defendant, M, not guilty. Court is adjourned!" Judge DIaphan lifted her gavel and slammed it down on the podium before her. 

Finally, it was all over. 

**September 2**

**Defendant Lobby No. 6**

**12:05 PM**

**Deirdre Brigit**

When we arrived out in the defendant lobby, Yuri instantly began to squeal. "We did it!" she exclaimed. "We were able to hold off for long enough! The hostages were rescued, and Occisor is in handcuffs to top it all off! It's a perfect end to a perfect day!"

"Don't forget that we still have business to attend to," I reminded her. "We have to get back to the agency to talk to a certain hostage friend of ours. I have a few questions for her at the very least."

"Then let's get to it!" Yuri chirped. She grabbed my hand and Lily's before attempting to drag us towards the door.

"You aren't leaving without me, are you?"

Yuri paused and turned to check out who had spoken. I did the same. Mr. Morix was standing behind us, his hands stuffed into his pockets. There was a bittersweet smile on his face. His eyes were puffy, so I assumed he had been crying.

"Hey, Mr. Morix!" Yuri exclaimed, dashing up to greet him. "You look a lot better than you did yesterday. I'm guessing that the hostages being saved really helped to lift your spirits."

"You could say that," Mr. Morix shrugged. "I was pretty stressed that whole time, but... I see Neptune succeeded, so there's no reason to panic anymore. We're in the clear now."

"If I'm being perfectly honest, I was nervous about that trial," Lily admitted, rubbing at the back of her head. "I was terrified something was going to go wrong, like we wouldn't be able to hold off the trial for long enough, or that somebody would get hurt in the rescue, or that Neptune would wind up in danger for all she did..."

"We owe everything to her and the people helping her to rescue the hostages," Yuri said. "We should try to thank her if we can get the chance. Perhaps we should call her and see where's she's at."

"I'm sure Neptune will turn up soon enough," Mr. Morix assured her. "She told me she was going to bring Chrysalis home after the rescue. The operation was rather messy, according to Neptune, because there wasn't any official support behind the local precinct or Interpol. I'm sure you already heard about Interpol's policy regarding what happened..."

"Yeah. If it would endanger the company, don't do it," Yuri recalled. "And come to think of it, I didn't see any detectives from the local precinct helping her out either..."

"The police officers she did pull together were all volunteers who wanted to help her free the hostages. She mentioned that much earlier when I called her for the first time today," Mr. Morix explained. "They probably weren't used to being led by a private investigator instead of an official officer from the precinct. I can imagine that would be a bit unsettling for some of them..." 

"Still, they managed to get the job done, which is all we can really ask for, right?" Lily asked.

Mr. Morix nodded. "There are a lot of other things that still need to be settled, but this is a good start. I want to talk to Chrysalis about what happened as soon as possible. I'm sure you have a few questions for her too," he said. 

"Yeah. I want to know more about everything she's been up to since we last saw her," I confirmed with a nod. 

"I want to know who that boy in her locket was," Lily remarked. "I'm sure you two remember that, right?"

"Yeah, I do... He looked to be about my age, actually," Yuri commented, placing one finger on her chin.

"If he's who I think he is, good luck getting her to tell you. Chrysalis doesn't really talk about him much," Mr. Morix told us with a frown. "It's not my place to explain his relation to her. If you want to know, you'll have to find a way to press it out of her, and good luck with that. When she wants to keep a secret, she's stubborn and won't tell you until the bitter end."

"I never would have expected a fragile-looking girl like her to be that way," Lily admitted. "But at the same time, it makes a lot of sense... After all she must have gone through up to this point, it makes sense as to why she would be so secretive..."

"We should probably head back to the agency soon," I said next. "We want to be there when Ms. Mercure arrives back there with Chrysalis."

"First, I want to talk to Ghastly. I have a few questions for him too," Mr. Morix commented.

"What? Why would you have something to ask him about?" Lily asked with a frown.

"Well, in all truth, it's more to do with his adoptive daughter than him. She seemed pretty bothered when Occisor brought up that virtual reality. I'm curious as to why she was so upset by it. Their mentioning of that school, Ashbrooke, I think it was, seemed to make her blood boil. Call it pure curiosity, but I want to know why it freaked her out so much," Mr. Morix explained.

"Speaking of Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, you were communicating with him that whole time, weren't you?" Yuri questioned with a small smile.

Mr. Morix nodded. "I was, as a matter of fact. Before the trial, I went to him and asked that he help the three of you hold off the trial as long as possible. He didn't want anything bad to happen should Occisor decide to begin the execution before Neptune got there, so he played along. The whole trial, I was getting calls from Neptune giving me updates on where she was in the search. She was doing rather well. She last texted me two minutes before bursting into the plane, saying she was about to take care of things once and for all. I haven't heard from her since, but as you saw on the TV, the rescue was successful. I guess she didn't feel the need to tell me that much since we all saw it ourselves," he explained.

"We owe a lot to her after all she did today," Yuri murmured. "I wouldn't have expected her to be so selfless."

"Well, from what I can tell, Chrysalis was her good friend. She didn't want to leave her to die at the hands of Occisor," Lily pointed out.

"We should try and talk to her a little bit about what happened yesterday when we get back to the agency. She must have something to say on her outburst at Interpol," I said.

"Outburst?" Mr. Morix asked. 

"She got all snappy with us when we started asking her questions about Oracle. Plus, it was like she was speaking in riddles. I don't have the slightest idea what she meant during that conversation. She seemed to be getting angry at something, but it wasn't us, from what I could tell," I told him. "I don't know what came over her, but I'd like to ask. Maybe she'll be more willing to talk now that Chrysalis and the other hostages are safe."

"If I'm being perfectly honest, I don't even know how you would ask her about what happened... She was acting so strangely. She was definitely mad, that much is certain, but at the same time, what got her so fired up? I didn't understand half of what she was saying. I mean, I heard the words and knew what they meant by definition, but whatever she meant escaped me. I guess it wasn't really meant for our ears. Perhaps she was just saying that to get it off her chest. I can't say for sure," Lily said with a shake of her head. 

"We can try to ask her about it. Whatever it was that was bugging her, it made her act pretty irrationally. If we calm her down and talk to her back at the agency, maybe we can get the truth out of her," Yuri suggested with an optimistic smile. "Of course, that requires us to get back to the agency first..."

"Are you heading out already?"

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, Prosecutor Lin, and Prosecutor Wood all appeared in the doorway. Prosecutor Wood was avoiding our eyes, instead gazing desperately at the floor. I assumed she was still flustered at her outburst during the trial.

"It's good to see you, Ghastly," Mr. Morix smiled before turning to Prosecutor Lin. "I didn't realize you had come today, Sora."

"I couldn't help it. I wanted to make sure Chrysalis was safe," she explained. She cast Lily, Yuri, and I a sideways glance. I got the feeling she knew we were aware of her involvement with Oracle, but she wasn't saying anything, maybe for Prosecutor Wood's sake. She seemed blissfully unaware of her adoptive family's ties to the spy, after all.

"Are you feeling alright?" Yuri asked, scuttling over to Prosecutor Wood. "You weren't looking too good during the trial."

"I-I'm fine," Prosecutor Wood assured her, but it seemed obvious to everybody present that she was lying. 

"Did you know what they were talking about when the virtual reality came up?" Prosecutor Lin questioned, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

Prosecutor Lin's motherly aura seemed to calm the younger girl slightly, but she was still tense when she spoke. "N-No, not at all," Prosecutor Wood stuttered, starting to pull on the braids hanging over her shoulders.

"You can talk to us. We won't tell anybody if you'd rather we keep it on the down low," Prosecutor Lin assured her with a smile. "You know how we are."

Prosecutor Wood shook her head. "No, I'm alright..."

Prosecutor Lin didn't seem convinced, but she didn't press it further. Instead, she focused on me. "Thank you, all of you, for what you did today. I really appreciate your efforts to help Chrysalis to safety. It scared me half to death when I heard she was being held captive by a dangerous group of assassins. I'm glad you were able to rescue her," she told us with another smile. "It means a lot."

"No problem. We're just glad we could help," Lily said with a grin. 

"It was good talking to you," Mr. Morix told Prosecutor Lin. "We have to get back to the agency. Neptune is going to be dropping Chrysalis off soon. We should make sure that she gets some sleep. I imagine she's exhausted after all this."

"Tell her I can come over anytime to look after her. I know how she likes to hide stuff like this, but I'm perfectly happy to baby her until she's feeling better," Prosecutor Lin said. "We should head back too. I bet you two are tired after what you've done today."

"Yeah. I could use a good three-day nap," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke admitted.

"Um... I'm pretty sure that's just a coma," Prosecutor Wood told him, cringing.

"Sounds amazing," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke muttered.

"Well, I should take them back and make sure my beefy boyfriend doesn't pass out for three days straight," Prosecutor Lin laughed. "I'll see you later. Have a nice day."

I waved lightly as Prosecutor Lin walked away with Chief Prosecutor Bespoke and Prosecutor Wood. The latter two yawned in sync, making Prosecutor Lin laugh to herself as they left the defendant lobby behind.

"They have the right idea on getting back home," Mr. Morix remarked. "I don't know how far away the airport Neptune was at is, so we should head back ourselves. I don't have a clue when she'll be arriving, and we want to be prepared."

"In that case, I guess we should be on our way," Yuri nodded. "Even if a coma is sort of an exaggeration, I really need a nap after this too. I don't know about you guys, but I've been stressing nonstop about how this would turn out. At first, it was worrying about M and N, and then it was the kidnapping..."

"Speaking of M and N..." Lily whispered, pointing behind Yuri. 

M and N came walking into view. The latter was clinging to M's arm with a relieved smile. "Thanks again for everything," N told us.

"I'm afraid we don't have much time to talk. We have to get back to Interpol to clean this mess up," M frowned. "But we both appreciate all you've done for Interpol these past few days. Thanks again."

"No problem," Lily grinned. "We'll leave you to the rest of your day. We have somewhere to be anyways."

M nodded curtly in our direction and turned to leave, N at his side. I heard Yuri whisper something to Lily. While I didn't catch the exact phrase, I got the feeling it was something along the lines of "they're totally dating" knowing how Yuri can be.

"It's time to head out," Mr. Morix said. "I'll see you all back at the agency. Try and stay out of trouble until then, alright?"

"I can't make any promises!" Lily joked as Mr. Morix left the room with a small chuckle.

"Well, I guess it's time," I murmured. "Let's go talk to the one true Oracle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of that.
> 
> There are still two more chapters going over loose ends. Those will be going up over the course of the next two weeks. I finally finished writing this book (it's 1008 pages and 307364 words, which is much longer than anticipated), so I'm posting these at my leisure. I have a schedule to keep, but updates should be on time from here on out.
> 
> -Digital


	59. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 19

**September 2**

**Neptune's Car**

**1:00 PM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

When I came to, I could feel jostling around me. I rubbed at my head. I had a pounding migraine that begged me to go back to sleep. However, there was too much for me to find out for me to go back to sleep now. I didn't want to end up in trouble after all that had happened. The last thing I needed was more danger.

I glanced around with a small groan. I was in a car. I was apparently in the passenger's seat. I glanced to the side to see Neptune driving with a look of determination on her face.

"You're up!" came the gasp of a male voice from behind me.

I tried to turn around, but the pounding in my head demanded that I stop moving. Instead of facing the voice, I nodded numbly and shut my eyes.

"Here. Take this," Neptune said at my side. She grabbed a bottle of water sitting in the cupholder and handed it to me. "I imagine you're parched."

I tried to nod, but that proved to be harder than anticipated. I opened the water bottle and began drinking. It felt perfect on my itchy throat. She was right about me being thirsty. I hadn't had anything to drink since before I was taken captive, which was over a day. I hadn't eaten much of anything either, a fact my empty stomach was happy to remind me of with a groan.

"I have a granola bar in the bag back there. Can you give it to her?" Neptune asked of the boy behind me. "I know you're not fond of them, but you need to eat something. You passed out from exhaustion as soon as we got you out of there. I imagine hunger and thirst contributed to that."

The granola bar was passed over my shoulder and into my waiting hands. I unwrapped it and took a bite. It tasted bad and was a little squished, but I was happy to have something at all. It felt like ages since the last time I ate anything.

"Are you feeling better now?" Neptune asked after I had finished the granola bar.

"I think so," I whispered before taking another swig of the water to wash the taste out of my mouth. "I... Where are we?"

"The highway," Neptune answered. "We're taking you back to the agency. I'm sure your brother is worried about you. He can take you to the hospital from there."

Memories of my abduction danced behind my eyes. I had been cornered by Occisor shortly before I was meant to testify for the trial. I felt a blow hit the back of my hand while I was struggling, which was the last I remembered before the darkness closed in. The next time I woke up, I was in the plane being held down by ropes. I was surprised to be alive, but I was glad for it. I had expected to die as soon as I crossed paths with Occisor, but they had been merciful.

"I suspect you have a concussion," the boy behind me said. "There's blood in your hair from your head wound. We wrapped it the best we could, but without any official medical personnel, we were limited in what we could do."

My fingers darted up to my forehead. I could feel a bandage, likely from a first aid kit, wrapped around my head. However, that wasn't what I was worried about. I was much more concerned that I could feel my hair.

My actual hair.

My breathing began to speed up. They knew. I mean, I was already fully aware that Neptune knew who I was, but the boy behind me, whoever he was, didn't have a clue. I didn't know him at all, and here he was, one of the people who knew the truth about me.

"It's okay. We won't tell anybody," Neptune assured me, as if she could read my mind. "We're going to protect you until you get back home. The good thing about them holding other hostages is that we can pass you off as being one of the other people they took. Nobody will be able to tell. It's going to be fine."

"Well... Alright..." I whispered, letting my fingers drop to my lap. My arm was feeling like a weight. I didn't know if I would be able to hold it up anytime soon. All my energy had been drained over the course of the kidnapping incident. That was probably normal given all I had gone through, but I couldn't help my panic.

"Mr. Morix is waiting for you back at the agency," Neptune continued. "He'll probably insist on getting you medical attention for your head wound, knowing him. He's a panicky mess where you're concerned."

"Thank you..." I managed to say despite my exhaustion.

I turned over one shoulder to see who was behind me in the seat. I saw a girl with white hair asleep, her head cradled against the seatbelt uncomfortably. She seemed familiar, but in my state, I couldn't sift through my memories to see where I knew her from. I had to strain to see him, but I eventually saw the boy behind me too. He had bright blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He looked at me with a small smile and waved. I was halfway tempted to ask him who he was, but I couldn't find a way to form the words.

"You'll be home soon. Go back to sleep for now. You need rest to recover from all of that," Neptune told me. The car eased to a stop at a light. She reached over and placed her hand on top of mine. "You'll be okay."

I smiled gently to myself as I closed my eyes. It didn't take long for the darkness to close in around me as unconsciousness took over. I wouldn't say my sleep was calm, but it was something at the very least.

**September 2**

**Morix** **Law Offices**

**1:30 PM**

**Cotoli** **Morix**

We hadn't been back at the agency for long when I heard a knock come at the door. I darted from our place in the main area and down to the lobby. That had to be Neptune with Chrysalis.

Sure enough, I was right. Neptune was standing at the door alongside Chrysalis. My sister was leaning heavily against Neptune, looking ready to pass out. I opened the door and allowed them to come inside.

"Thank you for everything," I told Neptune with a grateful smile. I embraced Chrysalis, rubbing my fingers through her hair. I was careful to avoid the bandage wrapped around her forehead. There was a bloodstain on it, but I didn't comment on it. I got the feeling that would only serve to stress her out further.

"It was my pleasure," Neptune said with a small grin. "Do you need me for anything else?"

"Could you come up a few floors for a minute or two? I might need help getting her up there." I was blatantly lying about that. Chrysalis was barely over 110 pounds, and with enough effort, I could carry her easily. However, I got the feeling Neptune wouldn't want to come upstairs and talk to Deirdre, Lily, and Yuri if I told her they wanted to know about her outburst from the day before. She would probably dodge the question by leaving early.

"Sure," Neptune shrugged, following me to the elevator. Chrysalis leaned against me silently all the way. I was resisting the urge to dote on her after all she had been through. I knew she wouldn't appreciate that when we had an audience. Plus, I didn't know what Neptune knew about her since she had always kept the details from me. She was secretive that way.

"How are you going to explain the random disappearance of Oracle to anybody who asks?" I couldn't help but question of her.

"I'm going to say we stopped somewhere and from there, she decided to run. It's not the best excuse ever, but beggars can't exactly be choosers. I take you already reported to the police that Chrysalis was a hostage like I told you to, right?" Neptune asked in return.

"I did. To their knowledge, Chrysalis was there alongside everybody else. There's nothing out there keeping her from living her life normally at this point," I said. "I have no idea how we managed to pull this off, but I'm not complaining."

"It was an impressive gambit, to say the least," smiled Neptune. "How are you feeling, Chrysalis?"

"The world is spinning rapidly," Chrysalis answered bluntly from her place at my side. "I'd like to lay down as soon as possible."

"You can soon," I assured her, pulling her a bit closer. "I... I do have some bad news for you though... I had to tell the other people at the agency."

Chrysalis grew tense. "What?"

"I encouraged them to. I knew they would have to know what they were dealing with in order to go ahead with this trial. I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries, but I think it was necessary," Neptune told her. "I've ensured that they won't be telling anybody further though. They already seemed to get the impression it was meant to stay quiet, but I've told them to keep it on the down low."

"Thanks..." Chrysalis said softly, shutting her eyes.

"They still have a few questions for you on all you do, but I'm sure they'd be willing to wait for you to feel better," I whispered.

"Good... God, Yuri is going to be pissed," Chrysalis murmured with a shake of her head. "The incidents behind her sisters' deaths are on my shoulders. Here's hoping she doesn't completely snap when I see her."

"Don't worry about that," Neptune assured her, placing one hand on her shoulders. "Those cases weren't your fault. The people who killed them are to blame. You didn't stab them. This isn't on you."

Chrysalis nodded dully as we arrived on our floor. I had to admit, I was starting to feel bad about tricking Neptune with how genuine she was acting, but I knew it couldn't be helped if we were going to get the answers we sought regarding her sudden outburst the day before. She wouldn't have gone along with it if I told her the truth. She would have turned tail and run in the other direction as fast as possible.

Yuri dashed up to greet us when we left the elevator. She instantly threw her arms around Chrysalis, making her cry out in shock. She didn't try and pull away, but I got the feeling she was uncomfortable. When Yuri picked up on this, she pulled back with an awkward smile. "Sorry," she said with a grin.

"It's fine," Chrysalis assured her. She wobbled over to the couch, where she took her place next to Deirdre. She shut her eyes and was asleep within a matter of moments.

"Hey, Neptune," Yuri said next, looking up at the private investigator. "If it's okay with you, can we ask you a few questions about what's happened these past few days?"

Neptune seemed to know she was talking about her angry outburst at Interpol. She frowned and glanced longingly at the elevator. "I... I really shouldn't stick around for too long. I have to help somebody out. I'm taking one of the other kidnapping victims back to her home. She's grown rather weak and needs to get back immediately," Neptune told her quickly. "I don't have time to stay and answer any questions."

I was hesitant to call her on it, as I had seen her leaving the plane earlier on with a girl with white hair. I assumed that was her. I didn't know why she had decided to escort that hostage home out of all she could have chosen, but I didn't say anything about it. Instead, I shared a quick glance with my coworkers before looking to Neptune. They didn't seem to want her to leave either, but if they were planning on stopping her originally, they changed their minds.

"You can go," I murmured.

"Thanks," Neptune smiled. "Tell Chrysalis I hope she feels better soon." With that said, she turned on her heel and returned to the elevator. She disappeared from view a few seconds later.

"That went well," Yuri commented sarcastically. "And here I thought we would actually get an answer out of her... Then again, this is Neptune we're talking about. She seems to hate being forced to spill her own secrets."

"And yet, she was perfectly fine with pointing you three in my direction so I would be forced to tell you who Oracle was," I commented under my breath with a shake of my head. "I don't understand her."

"Why did you two even decide to work together?" Lily asked.

"She wanted to help Chrysalis. She came to me over the phone last night, saying she wanted to help me get her back. I had heard from Chrysalis that she knew the truth about Oracle. Nobody else working in the project was exactly in a position to help her out at the time, so I had to trust her. I'm not going to lie. I was hesitant to agree to it. I don't know how much she knows about the project. I've never been able to figure that out due to her secretive nature. Chrysalis hasn't been able to press it out of her either," I answered.

"You did it because you had no other options... That makes sense," Deirdre murmured with a small nod. "I wonder how she heard about everything. I doubt Cassidy would betray you."

"I don't think she would either. She had been working with us for two years at that point, and then she randomly told somebody she barely knew according to our theory... That doesn't make sense and is very out of character for her. I didn't believe it, and in all truth, I think that was the right way to go," I said next. "I don't know how she figured it out if Cassidy didn't tell her, but I don't know if I really want to hear about it. It could lead me down a path I'd rather avoid. I can't say for sure."

"I'm glad we're all in agreement on that," nodded Lily. "Now, all we can really do is wait for Chrysalis to wake up and then ask her about more details regarding the project. You said there were a few things only she could tell us, saying it was her choice whether she wanted to bring it up or not."

"I'm sure she'll wake up soon," Yuri assured her. "I guess she was really tired though. It took her all of thirty seconds to fall asleep, and she hasn't moved an inch since. That kidnapping incident must have exhausted her."

"We can wake her up if need be. I don't know how good of an idea that is, but I don't want to keep you for too long... She won't be talking much, that's for sure," I told them with a frown. "I should probably take her later today to get her head checked out, but we can't really ask her anything at a hospital. It's too busy and risky. Anybody could overhear anything. It's too great a danger."

"In that case, let's wake her up and talk to her now before taking her to the hospital," Yuri suggested. She approached Chrysalis and began to gently shake her shoulders.

Chrysalis woke with a start and glanced around with a frown. "What...?" she asked grumpily.

"We have a few questions for you," Deirdre explained.

"Let me guess. You want to know more about the epic spy that's been wandering around the city for two years now," Chrysalis said with a frown. "I heard you found out."

"We did," Lily nodded. "I hope that doesn't upset you too much."

"It doesn't matter if it pisses me off or not. You already know. I can't change that," Chrysalis sighed. "Before we start talking in detail, we need to go over a few ground rules. First and foremost, you are not allowed to speak about this to anybody outside of the project. I actually like breathing, and I won't be able to keep doing that if you decide to go blabbing about me to random people."

They didn't seem to take issue with this rule. Lily glanced at Yuri and Deirdre before nodding to Chrysalis, indicating she should continue.

"Second, don't press me too much on the project. I didn't tell you of my own free will. I still don't know if you're entirely trustworthy or not. Any secrets I choose to keep are mine unless I decide otherwise. I don't want to be forced to spill anything I'd rather keep quiet. I'll tell you when you've come across a subject like that, and I expect you to leave it alone for your good and mine," Chrysalis went on.

I took her hand as she said that. I sat on her side opposite Deirdre. I knew she would want me there for emotional support.

"Finally, you'll stay out of project affairs for the most part. I don't want to put you at risk because of my work. This is more for your good than mine. I don't want you butting in somewhere you shouldn't and ending up hurt because of it," Chrysalis said. "Now that we're finished with those, I guess you can ask away. Please try to excuse my endless pessimism. I wish things could have gone differently is all."

Deirdre, Yuri, and Lily looked at each other silently. They seemed too nervous to speak first after her blunt behavior a moment ago. Normally, she wasn't this bitter, but this case had exposed her deepest secret to people she wasn't planning on telling. Plus, she had been through a lot and hadn't slept much. I made a mental note to explain this to Deirdre, Yuri, and Lily later on so they wouldn't take their anger out on her.

"How did you end up at Interpol when you were planning to go to Germany to meet with Pieter?" Lily started off by questioning.

"I decided to leave a few hours ahead of time. I had been called to Interpol and knew I wouldn't have time to get there and back if I was still planning on catching my flight. I brought my suitcase with me and headed up to my office. I called Cotoli to tell him that plans had changed a little bit. The window slammed shut a few doors down. I jumped in surprise, causing me to accidentally hang up on him. It was irritating, but at the time, I had more important things to think about. I wanted to know what that sound had been. I'm pretty sure you know the story from there," Chrysalis replied.

"What happened with Y in the weeks leading up to this case?" Deirdre asked next.

"She stopped talking to me. Her knowing who Oracle was... That wasn't common knowledge. It was only a few people who were aware of it. I wasn't one of them. When I caught wind of that, I was planning on talking to her about, but she died before I had the chance to ask her to keep it quiet," Chrysalis answered.

"Why are we still asking her about the case? We should ask her for the juicy stuff!" Yuri exclaimed. "What are your aliases? Would we know any of them? How many do you have?"

Chrysalis blinked for a moment, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of questions. "Um... I have quite a few, but I'd rather not get into all of them. There are a few that you've met by now though. I'm sure you remember Shayla Willows from February at the very least. That was me. Uh... What would be next...? Oh yeah. When Buff Guiy died, I left the agency early to check something out. I was asked to investigate it under the alias of Jo Jade. I managed to worm my way out of it by sending a few calls to Ghastly. He was glad to relieve me of my duties so I could help prove Yuri's innocence."

Yuri gasped in shock. "That was you?! Wow... I didn't see that coming."

"Did you ever see us in a room together?" Chrysalis asked with a smirk.

"I guess not, but there are a lot of people I haven't seen in the same room as you," Yuri shrugged. "I don't really think you can call that conclusive proof you two are the same person."

"That's true," Chrysalis said, leaning back against the couch. She repositioned herself before continuing to speak. "Next up would be Estelle Burns, but I think that's sort of a given. You already heard that she was Oracle when Cotoli explained the case a few months ago. I'm going to go out on a limb and say you already knew that..."

"After that, I met O on the lake when Neptune was under suspicion of killing that private investigator," Lily said next. "Of course, we already know that's you. Occisor going after you proved that loud and clear..."

"Yeah. I'd rather leave Sakura Rai where she is for the time being... I hope Neptune is going to get rid of my wig soon. I don't want her to be found with it," Chrysalis murmured.

"I'm sure she'll burn it. She doesn't seem like the type to leave something so decisive behind," I assured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She leaned in closer to my grasp with a small smile.

"Are there any others?" Yuri questioned.

"There's one other alias that you guys know. Do you remember when Cotoli was arrested and I supposedly hid away in my room to avoid all other people?" Chrysalis questioned.

"Yeah. We had trouble getting a hold of you since you were hiding away from the world," Yuri nodded.

"That situation is similar to Venus' death in a way. I told everybody I was hiding in my room since I didn't want to face reality and needed time to myself. However, as you already heard, I was doing all I could to find the truth in Venus' murder by testifying and eventually pinning down the person who killed her," Chrysalis began. "That's what happened with Cotoli's case too. I wasn't a witness there, but I was helping to prove him innocent."

"And how were you doing that?" Lily frowned. "I didn't think you were there at all. As far as I was concerned, you were away from everything to do with the case..."

"Remember the assistant prosecutor on the case, Amy Kalles? That was me. You could call me friends with Cotoli given our relationship, so I used that as a cover for why I took the case. Plus, I got to boost Niamh's confidence. She deserved it after spending all that time curled up in her office avoiding cases," Chrysalis said. "Normally, I don't use Amy unless I have Ghastly, Sora, or Polly by my side, but I made an exception. I wasn't actually planning on prosecuting him anyways. I was investigating all the possible ways to prove Cotoli innocent that whole time. Even if you threw in the towel and couldn't find an explanation, I was planning on raising something."

The look of shock on their faces made me smile. "You didn't see that one coming, did you?" I asked.

"Not at all... You really had us fooled," Yuri murmured with a shake of her head. "I guess it makes sense looking back on it, but... Wow. You're good, aren't you?"

"You could say that," Chrysalis shrugged. "I've been at it for a while. Plus, I have good people working alongside me to eliminate this legal system's corruption."

"What made you think this was a good way to expose corruption in the first place?" Deirdre questioned next.

"If you want the truth, I absolutely hate this current legal system," Chrysalis admitted. "I don't trust it. It seems like nothing that needs to be done ever gets done. People get away with their crimes if they have enough money or influence. They manage to avoid the hammer of justice if they know the right people. I hated that. I thought everybody should be judged equally, but I didn't really think I could trust the legal system to evolve on its own and come to that conclusion. It was too risky. There were too many pieces of forged evidence. The number of false charges was on the rise too. If I wanted change, I would have to do it myself."

"So, you got together a group of people you knew you could trust to help you change things and went into action," Lily commented. "It makes sense..."

"Cotoli became a lawyer for a similar reason to why I started the project. We wanted to end corruption. The legal system had screwed us both over countless times, and we were sick of it. To keep others from suffering the same way we had, we got to work. In his first few cases, we saw the excessive corruption ourselves. Our first case had us defending Venus, as a matter of fact. That was how we met Yuri, Cassidy, and Venus. Her case began to show corruption, which started to wane my patience," Chrysalis continued.

"Cassidy's case just got worse. She was our second client a few months later," I said, picking up from where she had left off. "There was a piece of falsified evidence in her case that nearly put her in prison. It was irritating to us that something like that could happen and was actually common under this system. It never should have been that way."

"Exactly. Our next few cases slipped further into the hole showing how bad the legal system was. After Cotoli's mother died and the culprits escaped, I couldn't take it any longer. I made the project and started trying to track down Occisor for what they had done. As long as I had something to say about it, people who committed crimes wouldn't be walking around safely. They would be rotting in prison, doing exactly what they deserved," Chrysalis finished.

"Do you like the legal system, Mr. Morix?" Lily asked, looking to me next.

"If you want the truth, not really. The legal system separated me from my mother for many years. The legal system allowed a known criminal to walk free in our everyday lives. The legal system let a horrible man go free while I was in college. I was sick of all that was happening. The third of those examples made me become a lawyer. I wanted to quell this corruption once and for all after all the pain it had caused," I answered.

"It sounds like a lot contributed to the eventual creation of the Oracle project..." Deirdre whispered. "I always knew it was complicated since a spy group would take some time to set up, but hearing the details gives you a bit of a new perspective."

"Is there anything else you want to ask me about?" Chrysalis asked. "I don't know how much longer I'll be willing to answer your questions. I feel like I'm going to pass out any moment now."

"Um... We found a locket in your bag at Interpol. We brought it back here, so you don't need to worry about getting it again," Lily said next. "There were two pictures inside. One of them was of Venus, and the other one was of a boy we don't know. If you don't mind my asking, who was that boy?"

Chrysalis grew tense under my grasp. She looked at the three waiting faces before shaking her head. "Remember how I said earlier that I have a right to refuse answering any questions you bring up? I'm going to take advantage of that now. The boy in the locket... There's a long story behind him and how we're connected. I'd rather not talk about it. I can't say if I'll ever be ready to explain how we know each other. Just know that it's best if you leave it alone."

"Alright..." Yuri muttered with a frown. I could tell she wanted to press the issue further, but she didn't say anything to bother Chrysalis on the matter further. I internally thanked her for that. I didn't even know the details of the boy in her locket, just that they met each other on her first investigation as Oracle two years before. She had only ever explained it to Venus, and now that she was gone, it was Chrysalis' secret alone.

"Then let's talk about something else," Lily suggested. "What about we talk about Pieter? I would like to know a bit more about him. It sounds like the two of you were really close before he went missing."

Chrysalis smiled to herself. "Yeah... You could say that. When we met each other, we hit it off right away. We grew close in a matter of days. I proposed the Oracle project to him to help weed out corruption, and he agreed to it... He even encouraged me to bring it up with the other people involved in the case," she explained. "I wish I could say where he went when he went missing, but I don't even know. It's like he disappeared off the face of the planet..."

"Then why don't you start from the beginning? Tell us everything you know about Pieter and where he could be now," Yuri suggested. "I'd like to hear these spicy details too. I only saw Pieter a few times, and I want to know more about him."

Chrysalis looked up to me hesitantly. I nodded to her, prompting her to sigh. "Alright. Let's jump right into it." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my anniversary with my girlfriend, so you get an update today as a present. 
> 
> But that's not all. Just you wait.
> 
> -Digital


	60. The Undercover Turnabout, Part 20

**September 2**

**Morix Law Offices**

**5:30 PM**

**Chrysalis Starr**

"Pieter showed up the day Cotoli's mother died. Apparently, her intent had been to introduce us when we came to see her at the factory. I only heard about that after the fact from Pieter himself. He was a bit nervous around me at first, but when I introduced myself as Chrysalis, he relaxed and gladly explained who he was. Apparently, he had been given a picture of me and Cotoli with Ms. Morix from the last time we had seen her, but he wasn't sure if I was the one in the picture. It had been a while since I had seen her before that day at the factory, after all," I began to explain.

"We heard he looked after you when you were injured," Deirdre said with a frown.

"Yeah, he was. You see, I walked in after Cotoli's mother died. Occisor was still there and had to eliminate witnesses. They knocked me out, so I was on strict orders to rest in bed for a few days until I was feeling better. Pieter was insistent on staying with me until I was ready to be on my own again. He was instantly over protective." I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face. "He was the first one I told about my ideas for legal reform following the escape of Occisor. He was supportive the whole way... If he hadn't been there, we wouldn't be where we are today."

"You two were pretty close while he was still here. It was like you spoke in your own language," Yuri remarked.

"The trial today showed me why he was so protective. He had lost a younger sister before me, and he was scared of it happening again. I'm guessing Occisor's current interest in me isn't helping his worries. I bet he's freaked out, wherever he is now," I murmured with a shake of my head. "I had been hoping to here from Pieter himself why he left us behind all that time ago. The trial was certainly a shock to the system. He thought Occisor was after him again, so for the sake of us all, he disappeared."

"But you have tracked him. That means you can find him again. All it'll take is a trip to Germany and a bit of digging, right?" Lily asked optimistically.

"Maybe. I don't know specifically where he is. All I have is a general outline. I don't think that's going to help me much in finding him. I mean, I wish it was enough, but I doubt it will be... I get why he'd be so nervous, and now I understand his intentions in disappearing, but... I don't know. I just want him to come back. He probably thought he was sparing us grief, but in the end, all he did was cause it by ditching us," I muttered. "I can't help but be a bit mad at him for leaving. I thought we were enough to keep him close to here..."

"At the very least, we know he's alive. You would be able to channel him if he wasn't," Cotoli pointed out.

"That's true..." I said softly with a shake of my head. "You've always been the logical one. Sora's the optimist, you're the logical kid, and I'm the pessimist."

"We balance each other out well," Cotoli smiled, pulling me into a hug.

I leaned into his embrace. "Yeah... Pieter would have fit into the dynamic well if he had stuck around."

"Don't lose hope yet. You're going to find him one day. I'll make sure of it," Lily assured me.

"Thanks for that," I whispered, a smile appearing on my face. "Well... I guess that's about it. There isn't much for you to hear about Pieter at this point. I assume you've already heard the rest of the story."

"I suppose that's true," Yuri confirmed with a nod.

"We should probably head over to the hospital now. I've been keeping my cool up until this point, but I'm really worried about your head injury. Do you need anything to eat or drink before we go?" Cotoli asked, rising to his feet.

"Some water would be nice," I told him. I felt my stomach growl. Clearly the granola bar Neptune had given me hadn't been sufficient. "And I guess a few pieces of string cheese wouldn't hurt either."

Cotoli nodded and left the room to retrieve the water and cheese for me. I leaned back against the couch and shut my eyes, resisting the urge to fall asleep once again. I was relieved to be home. If I'm being honest, I didn't expect to escape that plane alive, but thanks to Neptune, I was back. Sure, I was exhausted, dizzy, and probably had a concussion, but I was home.

"Thanks for talking to us, Chrysalis," Deirdre said to break the silence. "I'm sorry we learned the truth before you were ready. I imagine that would be frustrating."

"In all honesty, I wasn't even planning on telling you guys. I thought it was too risky. I was going to wait a few years if I was even going to mention it. In case you haven't already noticed, those who get involved with me end up in trouble. It's a recipe for disaster. I didn't want to put you at risk. Of course, this case spat right in my face on that front." I shook my head and sighed. "If you've been loyal thus far though, I'm going to assume you're not going to go blabbing about me to anybody. Besides, I'm not somebody you want to mess with. I'm sure you've picked up on that by now, but it's good to keep it in mind."

"We'll be here for you if you ever want to talk in the future," Lily told me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I was too tired to fight her, so I slumped against her. "Thanks," I murmured numbly. I could feel my sleepiness creeping up on me. It was trying to snatch me into the land of slumber. I wasn't going to object, but I at least wanted to get in the car first. I would probably have to answer questions once we got to the hospital about how I had gotten my head injury in the first place.

I was sure most of the city was aware of Occisor's bold moves. If I mentioned that I had been one of the hostages (which wasn't exactly a lie), they would probably leave it alone. The doctors would call it a subject of trauma and let me choose to ignore it. That was fine by me. While I wasn't quite ready to outwardly admit it, the experience had probably left some negative impact on my mental state. I hadn't been the most stable individual to begin with, and this kidnapping and hostage situation was only going to worsen that.

"I'm happy all of this is over," I heard Yuri say through my curtain of exhaustion. "I was terrified during that trial, if I'm being perfectly honest. I mean, what if Neptune messed up? People would have died. It's not the sort of pressure you want on your shoulders."

"We don't need to think about what could have happened though. Let's focus on what did happen. We were able to save the hostages from the clutches of Occisor. They're all happily at home now. We shouldn't have any issues with rebellious assassins in the foreseeable future. They're going to be in prison for a long time for what they've done. Ms. Murdayre mentioned quite a few of their crimes during the trial, but there are definitely more. I doubt they'll be getting out for a long time, if they even get out at all," Lily frowned.

"I have half a mind to intervene and give them the death sentence," I grumbled. "With my influence, I could do something like that. I've done it before with serial murderers and the like. They shouldn't be any difference."

"You've done that before?" Yuri asked in shock.

"I don't like to, but sometimes, the legal system is too easy on them. I'm not going to let people like that off with a slap on the wrist. People like to romanticize things. I try to stop that. I don't want them letting a murderer or criminal go free for looking good, being sexy, or having a future to look forward to. Judges need to be stricter on people in that way," I told them. "It's rare. You don't need to worry about me doing this when anybody inconveniences me even slightly. I'm not that type of girl."

"Remind me not to cross you," Lily sighed with a shake of her head. "I never thought I'd look at you and feel fear, but I guess today has changed that."

"You don't need to be scared of me. Really. So long as you aren't a serial killer or criminal convicted of a severe crime, you're fine. I don't care," I shrugged before pausing. "Okay, I care about you guys as people, but I don't care about what you do on a day-to-day basis... That came out wrong... God, you know what I mean."

The room was quiet for a moment after that, and I wondered if I had said something wrong. I had probably been speaking too bluntly about my powers. I didn't want to scare them off. People did things they didn't think through when they were scared. I hoped this didn't make them do something rash, like go off and tell somebody who I was. That wouldn't end well for any of us, least of all me.

"It's weird to think it's all really over," Yuri said instead to break the quiet. "I've been practically run by adrenaline for the past day, and now, I can finally take a deep breath. I swear, this has felt like the longest day of my life. I could really use a nice dinner out to enjoy this new sense of peace."

"Maybe we can do that after I get out of the hospital. I'm probably going to be there for at least a few hours while they look my head over. I wish I could snap and instantly heal whatever damage those guys did. They sure do know how to swing stuff hard," I muttered.

"You don't know what hit you?" Deirdre questioned.

"Nope. They got me from behind when I wasn't looking. I guess it was best for them that way since I wouldn't be able to fight back well if they were behind me. All I know is that whatever they hit me with knocked me out cold, and when I woke up, I was on that creepy plane... Who knew an abandoned airport could turn into the stuff of nightmares?" I sighed and opened my eyes, knowing I had a better chance of remaining conscious if I kept my eyes open. My chances probably weren't great, but it was something, right?

"It's like we're finally seeing quiet after a hurricane," Lily remarked with a small smile. "I mean, everything has been a whirlwind of assassins and spies since my first case here. It's been spaced out, sure, but it's still been a wild ride. Each of our cases involved either Occisor or Oracle, one feeding off corruption and the other trying to stop it. It's odd to think we won't have anything else like that in the future."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm glad. I rather like being able to sleep at night, thank you very much," I told her. "It's hard to relax when you're concerned about people tracking you down with murderous intents, you know? I'm happy that I can finally relax... It took forever, but I think it was worth the wait. I'm feeling better already. Well, I think I'm feeling better. It's sort of hard to know if things are looking up when your vision is in a constant state of dizzying rotation." 

"I worry about you, Chrysalis," Yuri said. "I hope Mr. Morix gets back soon so we can get your head looked at."

"The sooner we get that taken care of, the sooner we can celebrate an end to this mess," I pointed out. "My guess is that he couldn't help his worry and decided to throw something else together for me to eat on the way there. I haven't eaten anything but a granola bar since yesterday morning. I get why he would freak out."

"He's always been protective of you," Yuri commented.

"Yeah. He's so defensive that he makes Pieter look like a child in comparison, and that's saying quite a bit given how protective Pieter is. For crying out loud, the guy carries around a katana. That should tell you everything you need to do," I snorted.

"I forgot to ask this earlier, but what are you planning on doing now?" Deirdre suddenly asked.

"I don't really know. With Occisor gone, there isn't much I can do. I'm going to double my efforts on finding Pieter though. I know he's alive somewhere. If he wasn't, my channeling attempts would work. It's just a matter of tracking him down at this point," I answered. "I don't know how well it's going to work out, but I need to try. I can't just ditch him. That's not the kind of person I am. He did a lot for me while he was still here. I want to bring him back home to repay him."

"Pieter can't be channeled, huh?" Yuri murmured. "Didn't you say the same about Venus and Cassidy?"

"Yeah. Sora and I have been trying for ages. Nothing seems to reach them. I wish I knew why," I shrugged. "If I can get it to work, you'll be the first person I tell. I know you never got to say goodbye when they died..."

"Yeah... I wish I had an explanation as to why I can't see them," Yuri sighed. "I mean, you, Prosecutor Lin, and Lily are the best spirit mediums I know. Granted, you're the only ones I know, but that's beside the point. If you can't pull it off, I don't know anybody who can."

"Sorry if it's a bit of a letdown. I understand that would be pretty upsetting to hear," I frowned.

"It's okay. I'm sure I'll have my moment someday... Until then, I'll just have to take their place at your side," Yuri remarked.

This was enough to make me sit up. Unfortunately, I moved too quickly, sending a strike of red-hot pain rushing through my head. I winced at the ache. "What?" I asked, unable to force any other words out.

"If my sisters aren't able to help you out anymore, I'll have to do it," Yuri grinned. "It's a matter of succession, my dear Chrysalis. They can't help you, so I'll join in where they left off."

"I don't know if that's a good idea... It's dangerous. I don't want you getting in trouble the way they did," I told her with a deep frown.

"They seemed to believe in you, so I will too. I guess it's my duty to follow in their footsteps. They'd want me to help you out. Besides, I'm even more stubborn than you. There's no way you can make me back down from this. I'm going to do it whether you want me to or not," Yuri said firmly. "For the sake of my sisters, I'm going to help you."

Lily and Deirdre had been watching intently. I looked over at the two of them, praying they would offer me some way out of this. Lily shrugged with a glance of pity. Deirdre smiled loosely in my direction. I resisted the urge to let out a sarcastic remark about how helpful they were. Why weren't they siding with me? They knew how risky this was.

I sighed. "You already know the truth about me, so I can't stop you, but I want you to follow my instructions. You can't do anything dangerous without my instruction. It's important that you listen to me, okay?" I asked.

Yuri nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds good!" she chirped, clapping her hands together.

I don't know what possessed me to say what I did next, but regardless, the words still came tumbling out. "I don't know how you can be so casual with me," I admitted. "I thought you would hate me for being indirectly responsible for the deaths of your sisters. They died for getting tied up with me. Why would you want to associate with us?" There was a second unspoken question, wondering why she wanted to involve herself with me. Judging by the look in her eyes, she got the message even if I didn't say it.

Yuri shrugged before speaking again. "Well... I know you're not the one who asked for them to die. I don't really think you're responsible. I think it's because of Occisor that they died. You didn't send assassins to kill them. It wasn't your choice," she explained. "Plus, they seemed to believe in you. They wouldn't have gone so far if they didn't believe in your ideology for change. They would have left if they didn't have faith in you. I trust their judgement, and I trust you."

I didn't know how to stop the tears that sprung to my eyes after she finished speaking. I rubbed furiously at my face behind my glasses. "I... I don't know what to say..." I murmured.

"I get what you mean, Chrysalis. And you're welcome," Yuri smiled, reaching out to ruffle my hair. She was careful to avoid touching my head wound, which I was internally thankful for. I didn't need my head to pound more than it already was.

"I really am a mess. I swear, you get one case of blunt force trauma, and suddenly, everything goes downhill," I joked, making Yuri laugh.

"Who would have expected Oracle to be such a dork?" Yuri asked.

"For the record, I am not a dork. I am a nerd. Get your terminology right," I said firmly, making Yuri snort.

"With the serious conversation you were having a minute ago, I didn't expect you to snap so suddenly to joking around," Deirdre frowned.

"I guess you can call it a coping mechanism. I don't know," I shrugged. "I guess it just feels nice to relax after what's been going on in the past day. For the first time, I can take a deep breath. It's a huge relief, let me tell you."

"I'm glad you're feeling better than you were before," Lily smiled. "All we need now is for Mr. Morix to come back and take you to get your head looked at."

"I hope it doesn't take long. I know Anton will make a fuss," I sighed.

"Do you think he's going to want to see you?" Yuri questioned.

"Of course, he will. He worries about me a lot. It's his habit, I guess. We have a mutual relationship of worrying about each other," I answered. "I would be surprised if he didn't know about this yet. Polly will probably have told him why I haven't been around. He's probably running around in a panic like headless chicken by now, and if he isn't, he will be when he hears."

"Anton and Chrysalis sitting in a tree," Lily sang, nudging me with her elbow.

My face flushed red. "That's enough of that," I said suddenly. "I don't want to be having this conversation right now."

"Just tell the truth. You've been doing a lot of dumping of secrets today, so why not keep going?" Lily asked with a wide grin.

"No," I answered bluntly. "Even if I was drunk on all the alcohol in the world, I would not be drunk enough to have this conversation with you."

"Please don't drink anything."

We were cut off when Cotoli came walking back in the room. He had a sandwich on a paper plate, which he extended towards me. "Thanks," I told him, taking the plate with a loose smile. The heat in my face was starting to recede, which I was eternally grateful for.

"Let's get going. You can eat it in the car," Cotoli said. He helped me rise to my feet. "I don't think my car has enough room for all three of you, but you can drive over if you want. If you have other things to take care of, consider yourself dismissed for the day."

"Thanks for everything, Mr. Morix. You too, Chrysalis," Deirdre smiled.

"No problem," I answered coolly. "I'll see you later."

The three disappeared from view when Cotoli and I entered the elevator. I took a bite out of the sandwich, was apparently a grilled cheese, as I looked up at him. "I... I feel better now that I've told them," I admitted.

"I'm glad to hear it," Cotoli grinned. He pulled me in close and stroked my hair, avoiding my wound. "I hated seeing you so tense when they were present. I know it's hard to tell the truth sometimes, but it can be a good thing at the same time."

"That's true," I nodded. "I don't know how things are going to turn out, but for now, I think I'm okay where I am. It's not optimal, to have been forced to spill my secrets, but it's alright. It's something I never thought I'd say, but life can surprise you."

"Do you think you'll drag them into things in the future?" Cotoli asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. We'll have to see. Maybe I'll need them, maybe I won't. They're trustworthy, I see that much now, but it depends on the needs of the project. With Occisor gone, my workload is significantly lessened."

"But you still have one task on your plate, right?" Cotoli questioned.

My shoulders sagged as I took another bite of the grilled cheese. "Yeah... I need to find Pieter. I refuse to let him disappear without a fight. He'll come back to us one day. I know it. Even if he doesn't want to come back, I'll make him," I said firmly.

Cotoli handed me a water bottle, which I gladly drank from as he spoke. "It's not going to be easy, but if anyone can track him down, it's you. I'll help you if you want any assistance."

"Thanks," I smiled. "It means a lot that you've stuck by my side. You didn't have to stay with me for this long, and yet, you still did. Thanks, Cotoli."

"I'm just doing what any good brother would," he assured me. He pressed a kiss to my forehead as the elevator doors opened on the bottom floor.

We walked out to the lobby quietly. I glanced around, remembering the first time I had met Lily and Deirdre in this very lobby. Okay, technically it wasn't the first time I had met Lily, but it was the first time we were all together. Back then, I never would have anticipated things would turn out this way, but some part of me was relieved. The weight on my shoulders felt like it had been greatly lessened just by talking to Deirdre, Lily, and Yuri about all that had happened.

Cotoli helped me ease into the passenger side of the car. Once I was secured, he went to his seat and started up the car. The soft humming of the engine had a strange calming effect on me, and I couldn't tell if it was because I was probably concussed or not.

We began driving in silence. I glanced out the window and watched the scenery fly by. My thoughts began to drift, returning to everything that had happened. I didn't even bother trying to stop my brain. I figured it was a hopeless effort, so I might as well be tied up in my own peculiar nostalgia.

I hadn't been sure about adding new lawyers to the agency. I was afraid they would stick their noses where they didn't belong and learn the truth about me. It was hard to learn to trust people when it seemed like everybody and their mother wanted you dead. I thought these people would be similar in the way I couldn't get too close, but in the end, it had worked out well. I was happy Deirdre and Lily were around. They were doing a good job in starting to ease the heavy load Cotoli and I had on our shoulders as the leaders of a revolution.

Now, I knew they weren't going to leave us and turn away. It had taken a while for me to learn that, but I was happy I had. I wish the lesson hadn't come about through such dire circumstances, but there wasn't anything that could be done about it. I would just have to go where life took me.

With Occisor in prison, things were only going to get easier. The constant threat that came with their presence breathing down my neck was gone. I had more freedom. Granted, there were still people who weren't fond of me, and I could see why given how the media painted my sense of justice, but Occisor being taken out of the picture was a large step. It was the start in the right direction, which was enough for now.

I couldn't say how long it would be until we truly had peace where the legal system was concerned. We had caught a group of criminals that had been on the run for years, but there were still many victories to be taken. My job as Oracle wasn't yet finished. I had a lot to do, but I was determined I could do it. No other criminals would evade prison for as long as Occisor had as long as I had something to say about it. It hard been a mistake to let them get away two years ago to begin with, but it wasn't as great of a concern now.

I didn't know where things would be going from here. I was too focused on our victory over Occisor, the first significant triumph in months. It had been a train of disasters since the deaths of Venus and Cassidy. I had been sure things would only continue to get worse, but the universe had other plans in mind. I suppose that's another example of how life can surprise you.

Neptune had been feeding me that ideology ever since we began hanging out. I didn't know how she could be so relaxed talking about change, but she had always been a unique being. Before all of this, I had been concerned with how she had learned the truth, but I was going to let it go for a while. She had saved my life, and I owed it to her to leave her with her secrets for a little bit. I could investigate things deeper later.

I watched a few trees stretch out on the other side of the window. The task ahead was daunting, but I was going to stand up to it. With Ghastly, Polly, Cotoli, and Sora beside me, we were going to stand up against corruption. Lily and Deirdre were party of our group now too, which would only make things easier. Our company had grown, and I was glad for it, even if I had been terrified of this change two years ago.

More hands helping out would bring us closer to our end goal. We would be nearer than ever to achieving full salvation following years of corruption and falsities. I never would have expected this to happen, but it was alright. Neptune was right. Life had ways of surprising you. I had been panicking about people selling me out, and while that was still a concern, there were allies out there as well. It would be hard to find them, but it was still possible, and I was going to seek them out and recruit them to our cause in the future. I could start on it as soon as I got out of the hospital, whenever that was. I couldn't say when yet, but it was going to be the start of a new age.

In a way, what they had said before was right. We were going to reach a point of peace after this chaos plaguing us for so many years. It was a battle that had begun before I was even born, but we were going to finish it. The chaos was going to end one day, and it was going to be at our hands. We were determined to show the darkness who was boss, and soon enough, we would. It was just a matter of time.

The world is what you make it, so it was our job to go out there and make it ours no matter how daunting the task may have seemed.

I couldn't help but smile at the thought. As dark as our situation had been, we had broken through it, and we were going to make a hopeful future out of it. It was an uphill battle, but we could do it. After all, we had overcome impossible odds countless times already thanks to the influence of Deirdre and Lily.

Between the two of them and the other members of the project, it was closer than ever. With just a little pushing, we were going to reach our goal at long last. I was incredibly thankful for their influence in reaching the end of this mess. Without them, we wouldn't have caught Occisor, and now, with them, we were going to find peace and dispel darkness after years of bitter combat. We were going to reach what we had sought for so long.

After years of pursuit, we were finally going to see the quiet after the hurricane.

**THE UNDERCOVER TURNABOUT**

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of the main story!
> 
> Next week, I'll be posting the epilogue and character descriptions. Plus, you'll be getting one final surprise involving this story. You'll see it soon enough.
> 
> Until then, I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Digital


	61. Epilogue

**Pandora Rell**

"I heard about the kidnapping incident on the news. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time watching the trial! It was incredible! It's like something you'd see on TV! Monsieur Cat and The Metal Mercenary have some competition for epic action sequences, only this one was real! After the fact, we got five new prisoners. After their prosecution, I felt safer than I've felt in ages. After waiting for such a long time, we finally caught the man who killed one of my inmates. That makes you feel happier than you would expect, I'll tell you. Things have been relatively calm since, but I'm not complaining. Overall, life is going well! Maybe that agency will help to catch more criminals in the future! I know I'll try and watch their trials!"

**Felicity Amaya**

"Apparently, the agency who helped to defend me made it onto the news a year after the fact. I didn't think they were going to end up being such a big deal, but it's cool with me! It means I can go around telling people that I knew Cotoli Morix's agency back in the day. Speaking of agencies, I wound up being hired by Blocker Law when a new owner took over. Sky and I work there together now. Plus, Morix Law Offices managed to catch the criminal behind my case. Well, they held off the trial until that young woman could burst on the scene and show them what for. You know, come to think of it, she seems familiar... Doesn't she look like that girl who helped defend me a year ago? What was her name again? Ah, that's right. Venus Rinko... Oh, well. I'm sure it's just a coincidence."

**Sky Amaya**

"My sister was hired by Blocker Law after the head of the agency died. One of the other lawyers took over following the murder. We've been working side by side since then. Of course, I have a bad feeling about all of this... Call it a gut instinct, but I don't think this agency is going to be surviving for much longer. It hasn't been as stable as it once was. Ever since the death of the owner, it seems to be slipping into a downhill spiral... Of course, that's all theoretical. We'll just have to see... If the agency does disband, maybe I'll have to move to another agency... Maybe Morix Law Offices would be a good option. I hear they get involved in many large cases and often come out on top with even more of a reputation than before. It sounds like it could be fun to me."

**Julia Kirigiri (D)**

"The sudden betrayal of O was a shock to Interpol. We had been working alongside her for a long time, and suddenly we were given the truth that she was a spy all along... However, Interpol is starting to slip back into a routine. Chaos no longer reigns now that M is in charge once again. It was rough while he was gone, but we're fine these days. I can't say for sure if things will remain this peaceful, but all we can do is wait and see what the future will bring. Until then, there isn't anything we can do about it... Now, it's time for me to go see Q. Apparently, he has a gift for me. He mentioned it after M's trial as we were leaving the courthouse. I don't want to keep him waiting any longer than I have to. I know how antsy he can get..."

**Sebastian Walker (Q)**

"It's been difficult adjusting to life at Interpol since the murder. We're now allowed to drop the Oracle case. Between Y's death and O's exposure, nobody wants anything to do with Oracle now. I guess that's to be expected... We've officially gotten rid of all the double agents as well. They were prosecuted a few days ago. With D's help, we were able to push what information they sold and to who out of them. D and I are going to be tracking those people down over the course of the next week. Everything is returning to how it once was, which is a relief to me. I hated how messy the office got... Of course, it isn't entirely perfect... We still have to deal with Griffin on a daily basis, which isn't fun, but I guess it's better than it would be otherwise..."

**Buddy Bradshaw (X)**

"I'm happy I was able to help Neptune save the hostages. She was adamant about it the instant she heard O had been taken by the assassins... It was the most stressful day I've seen in a long time, but I think it was worth it. We were able to return so many people back to their homes. In fact, we're even helping one of the hostages recover. Her name is Clarith. She apparently didn't have any family to go back to. Neptune begged me for hours to let her stay with us... I'm just glad the masters of the house didn't have any strong objections... She's a sweet young woman. I'm happy she's safe now, even if she's rattled following the abduction. I hope we can get to know one another better soon, though that might be hard given how protective Neptune is of her... I wish I knew why that was."

**Drew Self (N)**

"It's a relief to have M back at Interpol. I was technically in charge while he was in the detention center, and it was incredibly stressful. I'm not meant to be the actual leader of the company. I'm more of a sidekick kind of guy... He's been cracking the whip down on everybody lately though. He's determined to return things to the way they once were before we had spies within our walls. From what I can tell, he's doing pretty well. I'm glad things are starting to return to normal. I can't say when the chaos will settle for good, but we're on the right track. I just hope D and Q have luck in going to find the people our double agents sold information to... We don't need our secrets getting out. That would cause another train wreck I'm not prepared to deal with, and I honestly doubt I'll ever be."

**Joe Ashen (M)**

"Interpol is somehow still standing after my days in the detention center. Color me surprised on that front. I'm working with the best agents over the country, but they're wrecks when I'm not there to look after them. Sometimes, it feels more like I'm running a daycare than an international force of agents... I guess it comes with the territory. They're good at what they do, at the very least. I'm glad I got the chance to work alongside them, even if they're about as safe to leave alone as a child obsessed with eating glass shards. We've gotten rid of the traitors at the very least. That's a good step for now. I can teach them responsibility another day. I'll make that my future project now that I'm back where I belong. It'll give me something to do, which is always a positive."

**KJ Jett**

"I know it's been a long time, but I still feel awful about Venus' death. There wasn't anything I could do about it, but I still miss her. I ask Chrysalis practically every time I see her if she's been able to contact her yet, but we haven't had any luck. I wish I had the chance to say goodbye, or to ask her why she got tied up in this Oracle business. I would give anything for a chance to talk to her... I guess there isn't much I can do about it now. I'm sure I'll get my chance one day. Until then, I'm going to continue my training to become a real bailiff one day. I'm sure she'd be proud of me... Venus, if you're out there watching me, somewhere, somehow... I hope you're happy with the way I've taken my life... And... I really miss you..."

**Sora Lin**

"After the hostages came home, Cotoli called me and told me that apparently his two new workers heard about the project... Chrysalis was pretty upset about it since they found out against her wishes, but there isn't much we could do about it. They were bound to find out sooner or later... Speaking of Chrysalis, I'm happy she's home. I was terrified of what could happen while she was being held hostage, but it all worked out fine, so there's no need to freak out right? I should probably thank Neptune sooner or later... I'm sure I'll see her at some point. She's become an unofficial member of the Oracle project with all she's done. Maybe she'll show up at the next meeting to talk about what happened during that case. I should ask Chrysalis... Until then, I'm going to hang out with Ghastly and Niamh. They're taking me out to lunch today!"

**Vito Cruz**

"I was busy on another case during that last murder at Interpol, but I heard about it from the people who were involved or saw the trial. It caused quite a stir. I wish I could have been there, but Chief Prosecutor Bespoke insisted on putting me on another case with Prosecutor Shield. He insists that we need to learn how to get along. We get along just fine, thank you very much. We're the same type of person. I swear, you argue one time, and everyone thinks you've become enemies... I really wish people would stop pestering me about it. When will they learn it isn't their business? I thought it was obvious you should leave things you aren't involved in alone... I guess that's a lesson Chief Prosecutor Bespoke needs to teach everybody else, so it's good to know I won't be the only one getting lectured."

**Roberto Shield**

"Lily told me all about the case after the trial ended. I was busy with Prosecutor Cruz. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke has been intentionally putting us together on a bunch of cases since our big argument a few months back. He says he wants to foster a strong relationship with our coworkers. I think it's ridiculous. Why can't he just leave us be? Then again, I may just be bitter about missing out on that last case. I heard it was a big one. I got a lot of details from Lily, but I still feel like I'm missing out on a few things, like she knows something I don't... I can't say for sure if I'll be able to press it out of her, but I want to try. It might give me something worthwhile. I guess I won't know until I try, so I might as well get onto that."

**Niamh Wood**

"I'm feeling all sick after what happened with the Interpol case... I can't stop thinking about what Ms. Murdayre said. She was talking about Ashbrooke... I'd rather not talk about it. I feel dizzy just thinking about it... If you want my opinion, I think the best thing to come out of that case was the ending and the knowledge that everybody got away safe... I'm relieved it's over. I wish I had felt more confident during the trial though... I was supposed to learn how to prosecute from Da—erm, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, but I wound up just shuffling paper around. I wish I had spoken up more... I guess I'll have more opportunities in the future. Maybe he'd be willing to help me next time a case comes up... I just hope that case isn't quite as stressful as the recent one... I don't know if I'll be able to take it if it is..."

**Anton Burke**

"A lot h-has changed since the Interpol case... For one, D-Daddy and Chrysalis have m-moved in with Polly and me! We're all living under o-one roof now! I-I don't think I've ever been happier... They always s-seem to be whispering t-to each other about something, b-but I don't mind much. I'm just g-glad we're all here together... I d-do wonder what they're talking a-about though... Maybe they'll tell me o-one day... Oh, well. Until then, I-I'm just going to enjoy our f-family bonding time! W-We're going to play a-a board game tonight... I-I wonder if I'll be a-able to win... I think I-I'm a pretty good at the Monsieur Cat game... What c-can I say? It's a lot of fun... I-I hope we'll be able to watch it t-together one day... Only time will t-tell, I guess... I'll j-just have to wait..."

**Polly Burke**

"Our little company of ragtag legal fighters has grown larger because of the Interpol case. I don't know how to feel about it. On one hand, it's always good to have more hands on deck, but it does make me nervous. You never know what people are really like behind a smile. Killers can put on a pretty face but still be killers. That's one thing I've learned since becoming a prosecutor... I guess there isn't anything I can do to change it now. I can't exactly go back in time and keep our secret from getting out. I'll leave it be for the time being, but the second they show signs of being suspicious... God, no wonder Cotoli is always telling me to relax... It says a lot when even walking anxiety is telling you to calm down. Maybe I do have a few temper issues after all."

**Vera Wattson**

"I missed the second half of the trial since I was working at the crime scene. From what I heard, it wound up being rather interesting... I suppose I can look through the case file later. It's not quite like being there and seeing it yourself, but it can be an alright substitute from time to time... On a lighter note, I've been growing closer with Toby. He seems to get flustered when I enter a room. I'll have to ask his daughter why she thinks that is. She'll have a better guess than I will. Speaking of, she should be ready to start working on cases again soon... It's been far too long since I've worked alongside her. It'll be a delight to get our group back together. Plus, there's a new detective in-training I'll be helping soon. Maybe our party can expand by one person once he arrives..."

**Toby Erikson**

"I've been able to relax a little after that big case at Interpol. I doubt I'll see any cases that wild for quite some time, which is fine with me. While I do like excitement, it can get exhausting if it's constantly a thrill ride. It's important to maintain a solid balance. I'm sure things will get a little lighter in the future though. My daughter, Mukuro, is ready to help me with cases again. It's always better when she's at my side. Maybe Vera can come along. She's always shooting me those longing glances when we're in a room together... I hope she hasn't noticed how flustered I seem to get when we're close... I can't help it. She just makes me happy, and then my face gets all red, and suddenly I can't stop my nervousness... That... That isn't a weird thing to say or anything, right?"

**Ervan Frost**

"I'm glad I've had some time off from judging. I've been able to spend more time down at local cafés. I've met a lot of nice people in between trials. In fact, I might have finally found the one... Eriko says I'm being dramatic, but I think she's just jealous. She doesn't understand true love when she sees it. She also thinks I need to hit on people less, but I don't think she gets that either. It's part of my nature. I can't just get rid of it. I'm sure she'll understand someday... Until then, I'll just have to wait... I should probably get going, though. I'm supposed to watch a trial Eriko is judging in half an hour. I don't know what it's about, but I'll be able to figure it out after I get there. I'm sure she'll gladly fill me in on the details afterwards if needed."

**Eriko Frost**

"Following their capture during the Interpol case, Occisor was judged by yours truly. I refused to let them go free for any longer, so I went into action. As of right now, they're all set to get the death penalty for their many murders. They won't be executed for a few years now because they need to serve out part of their sentences, but I'm still calling it a win. After all they've done, I think it's only fair that they rot in prison for what they did... Damn, I'm going to be late. I have to meet with my brother. That troublemaker is always screwing around at some café or another. At the very least, I can try to ground him by giving the details behind the case I judged. He seemed pretty interested in hearing them when we last spoke, wanting to know all about the crimes of Occisor's members."

**Ophani Diaphan**

"I've been given a promotion since the Occisor case at Interpol headquarters. Apparently, the higher-ups were impressed with my work during that dark situation. As glad as I am for all that, I like doing quieter cases. It keeps me away from the public eye and helps me avoid questions about why I wear the mask or if I'm a superhero... I swear, people can be so ridiculous sometimes... I guess I can go along for the time being. Hopefully, I'll still be given chances to judge regular cases. Maybe I'll get a few more with the lawyers at Morix Law Offices. They seem to be good at sniffing out strange cases, if their previous few cases haven't already made that clear to everyone. If I can preside over those trials, I'm sure I'll never see a dull moment. In other words, it sounds perfect to me."

**Ghastly Bespoke**

"The hostage situation from Chrysalis made me lose so much sleep... In between calming Sora and Cotoli, I've barely had time for any naps. While that may not sound bad, I'm passing out at my desk nearly every day now. Polly keeps chewing me out for it, but she doesn't understand how stressful that case was for me... Maybe I should set her up with a prosecutor with a calming aura... I would suggest Amy Kalles, but she unfortunately already knows that's an alias... Perhaps one of the new recruits will give me what I need, as no other prosecutor seems to get her sufficiently relaxed. I'm practically praying for that at this point. I don't know what I'll do if I have to keep listening to her constant pestering day in and day out... Noise canceling headphones might not be such a bad investment, come to think of it..."

**Neptune Mercure**

"I've been getting tons more cases since the last incident at Interpol. It's practically impossible to catch a break, since it seems like everybody wants time with the amazing private investigator who saved the hostages of the Interpol case from the deadly clutches of Occisor. If I had a dollar for every head line I saw that looked like that or similar, I wouldn't be here. Instead, I would be on my yacht partying it up. I suppose I can't complain though. As busy as I am, income is coming in pretty steadily. I just wish I had more time to spend with Buddy, Clarith, and Chrysalis... I feel bad for not being able to talk to them as much anymore... Oh, well. This has to calm down eventually, and I'll have all the time in the world then. At least, I hope that's what'll happen... I need some peace and quiet after this mess."

**Cotoli Morix**

"The Oracle project seems to be going better than ever before. Well, at the very least, it's going the best it has since Venus died. The help of Lily, Deirdre, and Yuri is doing wonders for the project. We've outed three corrupt attorneys just this month thanks to their digging. I'm thankful for their assistance more than I would have anticipated I'd be. I don't know what we'd do without them. I guess I can see what else they get into working as part of the Oracle project in the future. I have faith they'll only become better with time and experience. I don't think I can thank them enough for their help. I owe a lot to them... I guess it's strange, having a business owner be indebted to his employees, but I don't mind it much. I rather like the family dynamic we all share."

**Chrysalis Starr**

"I've made a steady recovery from my head wound since the case ended. Apparently, I had a concussion, which isn't surprising, but still irritating. I just want to get back out there and keep on with Oracle work. Of course, all this time off has given me a while to think things through, and I can't stop wondering where Pieter is. I might start with looking for him when I can dig around again. I can't wait for him to come back to us and see how much progress we've made. I hope he's proud. I've been incredibly productive since our last meeting. Plus, I want to ask him more about Occisor... Maybe he'll be more willing to return now that they're in prison... I guess I won't know until I drag that stubborn brother of mine out of the hole he's been hiding in all this time."

**Yuri Rinko**

"I'm following in my sisters' footsteps and working in the Oracle project! It's way different than what I expected. I was thinking it was full of underground meetings between shadowy figures wearing cloaks and using voice changers, but in the end, it was just a band of normal people talking about how to lock up criminals. Granted, I'm not complaining. I think it's cool regardless. I bet Venus and Cassidy would be happy to hear I'm doing so much to help out the people around me. They spent so much time and energy trying to make a better future, and now I'm doing what they once did. Even if they would be mad about it, I'm proud of myself. I'm happy to be part of something larger than just me. It makes me feel special... I don't think I'd give it up for the world. Funny thing to say about a spy organization, right?"

**Lily Shield**

"When I started working at the agency back in February, I never expected things would end up this way, but at the same time, I don't really have objections. I've found a group of wonderful people to share my time with. I've made friends along the way and shown the world what I'm made of. While it is going to be getting harder from here on out, I think we'll be able to face it. The legal system won't know what hit it! I think Robbie is getting suspicious though... He keeps asking me if I'm hiding something from him. I guess I'll have to touch up on my secret-keeping skills before I go out joining any other secret spy organizations. I can't have him learning what's going on behind the scenes. Something tells me that could be a recipe for disaster. Call it a gut instinct."

**Deirdre Brigit**

"While life didn't exactly go the way I had anticipated it to, I think it's alright. Something tells me things are going to work out in the end. I don't know what's been feeding me that concept, but I think I'm going to trust it if it's gotten me this far. I don't know where I would be now if I hadn't been hired to work at the agency, but I doubt it would have taken me on this unforgettable journey towards peace. I'm happy to be part of the Oracle project, which is something I never expected I'd say. Life surprises you sometimes, huh? This is only the beginning though. Something tells me I'll be seeing a lot more excitement in my time at Morix Law Offices. Only time will tell what comes next, and admittedly, I can't wait to see what's around the corner for me and the others."

**September 2**

**Unknown Location**

**Unknown Time**

**Unknown Perspective**

"I got a job."

When the woman with gray hair entered the room, I looked up from my place sitting in front of my laptop. She slung her backpack over the couch before sitting down beside me. "Unfortunately, it's going to make me move. I don't want to leave this place behind since it's been my home for years, but I think it's time I carve my own path in life," she told me.

I smiled. "I'm glad to see you're so determined to make your life your own," I said, reaching out to take her hand. "Did you finally find someone willing to hire you?"

"Yes, but it's not nearby, as I said before. We'll have to move. Well, at least I'll have to move. I don't want to force you to come along if you're happy where you are," she said. "I know my mom is coming with me at the very least. She doesn't want to stick around here anymore."

"I can understand why she would be so adamant about leaving this place behind. It isn't exactly healthy for her. Are you going to be sharing a home once you arrive?" I asked.

"I think so. I can't bring myself to leave her after all we've been through together," she admitted. "If you want to stay here, I won't stop you. You can take the apartment for yourself after we're gone. I'll gladly hand the keys over if that's what you want. I don't want to force you into anything."

"You aren't forcing me into anything. You've been nothing but great to me since we met, and I appreciate all that you've done. I'll gladly go with you wherever your new job is. There isn't anything keeping me here but you and your mother. I don't know if I'll be able to stomach leaving you now," I answered.

She couldn't help the blush that crept onto her cheeks. "You sure do know how to embarrass me... Is that your job or something?" she questioned.

"You know that isn't my job," I reminded her. "Even if it hasn't exactly done me much good in this foreign place..."

"I'm sure it'll help you out where we're going," she grinned. "We're heading to America."

I gasped. "Really?" I asked. I knew she wasn't cruel enough to joke around with me that way, but I still couldn't believe it. I hadn't seen America in two years now. Last time I was there, I wasn't even sure if I would actually be going back. I thought that was going to be the last I saw of my home, but the universe thought otherwise.

The woman nodded. "Yep. I got a job in a busy city. It's going to be hard to make a life in a place like that, but I'll take that challenge over life here. It's better to try and make your own life than be tormented at every turn, you know?"

I nodded. "I must agree. When are you set to start working there?"

"A few months from now. However, I want to settle in as soon as possible... Okay, maybe I'm just making an excuse to get away from this place. I don't know how much more of it my mother can take, and I'm getting fed up with everything we get here too," the woman admitted. "I'll have to figure out an apartment over there, but I'm sure it'll be okay. You can help me look around online, right? We both know you know tons more about America than I ever will, so we might as well use that to our advantage."

"That sounds good to me." I set the laptop to the side and stretched out. I had been sitting on the couch for ages now, and I needed a break for my cramping legs.

The woman didn't even have to look at the screen to know what I had been watching. "You're watching the videos of the abduction again, aren't you?" she asked.

I didn't respond, so she continued speaking. "I knew it. You keep watching it over and over... It's been a month, but you can't help it. And yet, you won't tell me why it's so important either... Come on, talk to me. You know I won't judge you for it."

I clenched my hand into a fist and shook my head. "Maybe another time. I'm not feeling up for it," I lied, praying she would drop the subject like she did most other times it came up.

She didn't press it, which I was thankful for. "Now, let's get to packing. There's a lot to do, and I don't want to put it off. The sooner we get to America, the better. I'm eager to get out of this place at long last," she said instead.

I nodded and headed for my room, but I heard her speak softly while I walked away, making me stop. "Will you talk to me one day?" she asked.

I hesitated. "I... I don't know," I admitted, not wanting to lie and give her false hope.

She paused thoughtfully and walked to my side, taking my hand into hers. "Well... I guess it's your secret to keep for now..."

She started for my room now and gestured for me to follow her. "Come on. Let's get to it. We have a lot of packing to do... Pieter."

**QUIET AFTER THE HURRICANE**

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have the final official chapter of this book! I can't believe it's over! 
> 
> We still have a bit more to go over though. In the next chapter, I'll be giving character profiles and final thoughts on the book. Plus, I have a special announcement or two that might surprise you. I'll see you then!
> 
> -Digital


	62. Character Descriptions and Post-Book Notes

_**It's so crazy to me to think that this book is finally over. I started it last year in May, and now, I'm finally hitting the end of it. The whole thing is over 300,000 words. Can you believe that? I know I certainly can't. It took a really fucking long time, but we're finally at the end of the line.** _

_**I just want to take this time to thank everybody who got this far. I know it was a bit of a long ride, but I hope it was worth it. There's more where that came from. The second book in the series, which is called 'Secrets beneath Secrets', should be going up any minute now, assuming it isn't already up. Just because a new book is coming doesn't mean the content will change though. Good old murder mysteries are still coming. This time though, we have new characters and all that jazz. It'll be a lot of fun.** _

_**This is the second time going through this book, and for anybody who read the original, this is the obviously superior version. It's a monument of how much I've grown as a writer, hell, a novelist, over the past four years I've been writing this series. That's right; four years. The first rendition of QATH came out for years ago today (4/11/15). I was a fetus back then, so my writing skills were questionable at best, even if they were pretty good for a middle schooler of only twelve. So much has changed since then. Now, I'm writing 5-10 thousand words a week and at least 2.5k a day. I'm doing what I love for a story and cast I love. I'm proud of the finished product. It might have taken a long way to get here (four years in planning and eleven months in writing), but I'm happy with it.** _

_**An especially big thanks needs to go to my four cowriters and closest friends. Lillian, thank you so much for listening to all my rambles at school and for helping me plan out all the dramatic stuff, even if I know you won't be reading this. Your friendship means the world to me. Polly, you're the most meme-y friend I could ask for. Thank you so much for being the first person to ever submit content for the original QATH. Your encouragement started me down this path, and I'm so glad you've been here for me all this time. Niamh, you're absolutely amazing. Your writing inspired me to even begin this book's original draft four years ago. It's all because of you that I even came up with my characters. You're spectacular and deserve all the love in the world. Lily, my dearest girlfriend, I love you so much. Thank you for everything you've ever done. Don't you ever doubt your skills as a writer, honey bunches. You're fucking epic. Also, thank you for making the judge twins for me on such short notice. You saved the story in that respect.** _

_**Now that all the mushy stuff is out of the way, it's time to talk about the meat of this chapter. I know what you're thinking. Chris, the book is over, what are you doing here? I can explain, I promise. This chapter is something of a little bonus. Not only is it an author's note dump since I feel like there's a lot to get out of the way here, but it has a bonus to it.** _

_**This chapter has character descriptions for every single character appearing in the book. That's right. Every single character. It has trivia like age, likes, dislikes, and talks about their role in the story. That being said, this chapter has MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS. AND I MEAN MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS. DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE BOOK. This chapter reveals every single killer and victim. It also contains spoilers for important plot twists. The stuff involving a certain critical point revealed in the second half of the final case is saved until the very end for the sake of spoilers. DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ TO THE END.** _

_**Most of the stuff in these profiles is pretty self-explanatory. The exception is probably the creator thing. It has one or two of five names listed next to it describing who originally created the character. Digital refers to me (in case you hadn't already noticed my username). My four cowriters listed above are the others. For anyone curious, Lillian is Phoenix, Polly is Hatty, Niamh is Ace, and Lily is Shiny. We've been working together since QATH began. Back in the original, they all had characters in the story, and that still applies to today. If anybody wants me to, I can send you a link over PM to their writing profiles.** _

_**Also, this next segment is pretty important regardless of if you plan on reading the profile or not. At the very least, it's important to me. I was going to put it at the end of the chapter, but I don't want to make people scroll through the eight extreme spoiler profiles and risk seeing something they'd rather avoid to read this. The profiles will be down below my sign off. It feels weird doing an author's note at the beginning instead of the end, but I think it's necessary in this case.** _

_**Originally, QATH was an Ace Attorney spinoff. Back in the original, there were canon characters in it. However, since then, much has changed. Only the structure and a few minor details such as mediums have remained. As such, I don't know if I can entirely brand it as an Ace Attorney story anymore. Besides, I post this on archive of our own, and I feel like calling it the Quiet after the Hurricane series is a bit on the wordy side. Over there, I'm going to be giving it a different title. It's also what I'll be calling the series on here and on Wattpad. I thought through it quite a bit, and I've finally come to a conclusion.** _

_**The series shall henceforth be known as Morix.** _

_**With all of that said, think I'm done here. The profiles are all below. I hope you've enjoyed the first book in the Morix series! If you liked it, be sure to check out the sequel 'Secrets beneath Secrets'! Thank you all so much for reading this far! I'll see you all next time!** _

_**\- A final time, Digital** _

_**\-------------------------------------------** _

Name: Cotoli Morix  
Age: 24  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: December 14  
Occupation: Defense attorney  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: His sisters, Polly  
Dislikes: Occisor, his mother's killers  
Cotoli is the owner of Morix Law Offices. He took on Deirdre and Lily since his agency was rather small. While quiet and somewhat awkward, he really cares for his sisters, Polly, Anton, and Ghastly. His two years of experience have earned him quite the reputation as a lawyer. He harbors a grudge against the group who killed his mother two years ago in the GC-9 case, which was later revealed to be Occisor. He is incredibly protective of Chrysalis.

Name: Lily Shield  
Age: 22  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: February 14  
Occupation: Defense Attorney  
Creator: Shiny  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Flowers, her brother  
Dislikes: Killers  
Lily is one of the two recruits signed on by Cotoli at the start of the book. She's new to the occupation and thus has a long way to go. She is a spirit medium taught by her mother. Her father died when she was much younger. While Lily was accused of it, spurring her to become a lawyer, the culprit was never caught. She currently lives with her brother and is close with her mother, Sayla.

Name: Yuri Rinko  
Age: 14  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: December 29  
Occupation: Student  
Creator: Phoenix  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Monsieur Cat, reading fan fiction  
Dislikes: Math, school  
Yuri is the youngest sister of the Rinko family. She lives with her mother Tatiana and has been working with Cotoli and Chrysalis ever since they met two years ago. While young, she knows more about the courtroom than most kids her age. She never knew her father and grew up surrounded by only women. She is a huge fan of the show Monsieur Cat and longs to meet the lead actor of it.

Name: Venus Rinko  
Age: 19  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: February 1  
Occupation: Legal assistant at Morix Law Offices  
Creators: Digital and Phoenix  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Her younger sisters, ice skating  
Dislikes: Killers  
Venus is the oldest of the Rinko sisters and Cotoli's primary legal assistant. She is also Chrysalis' closest friend and KJ's girlfriend of two years. She has a generally relaxed personality and gets along with most people rather well. She was once an ice skater, which led to her being accused of murder. In his first case, Cotoli defended her. Venus has been loyal to him and his sister ever since. She was tragically killed by Buff Guiy during the events of Turnabout Ignition.

Name: Roberto Shield  
Age: 25  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: December 23  
Occupation: Prosecutor  
Creator: Shiny  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Lily, quiet time  
Dislikes: His father  
Roberto is Lily's older brother. He works as a prosecutor in the local district and was tasked to prosecute the cases of Anton and Neptune. While he comes off as quiet and aloof, he has a kind heart and wants the best for his sister. He isn't fond of criminals, hence why he became a prosecutor. He has a strong dislike of his father for the events of his shared childhood with Lily, though he rarely talks about what happened.

Name: Anton Burke  
Age: 17  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: May 11  
Occupation: Student  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: His family, Monsieur Cat  
Dislikes: Blood, being accused of murder  
Anton is Polly's adoptive son. After Polly began to date Cotoli roughly two years before the events of the book, he grew close with Cotoli and Chrysalis, who he treats like a father and sister respectively. He is shy and easily frightened. He hates being alone and is often seen attached at the hip to one of his close companions. He is a fan of Monsieur Cat and has a minor crush on the lead actor, James Devine.

Name: Polly Burke  
Age: 23  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: February 21  
Occupation: Prosecutor  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Anton, being right  
Dislikes: Criminals  
Polly is Cotoli's girlfriend and Anton's adoptive mother. She took him in a few years prior to Quiet after the Hurricane and has been raising him ever since. She comes off as hardened and blunt, but her care for her son cannot be denied. She has a bit of an ego and likes to be right more than msot people. However, she is willing to set aside her pride if she knows it is for the greater good. She is also very protective of Anton and Cotoli.

Name: Shayla Willows  
Age: 21  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: November 25  
Occupation: Art student  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Drawing, Venus  
Dislikes: Blood, violence  
Shayla is shy and sweet, a contrast to her friend, Venus. She was a witness to the murder of Venus during the first case. She was traumatized by the event and began to hate violence more than ever before. She claimed to not have a clue Venus was involved with the Oracle of the Law, though Roberto later determined this was a lie since she was the Oracle herself.

Name: Buff Guiy  
Age: 42  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: January 10  
Occupation: Physical education teacher  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Exercise  
Dislikes: Oracle  
Buff Guiy is a teacher at Blackgate High School, the public school attended by Anton, Niamh, Chrysalis, Yuri, and Cassidy. He has a short temper and is very easily angered. He wanted to reap the benefits of Oracle's death and thus conspired to kill Venus, believing her to be the one. He was caught and put in prison, where he was later killed by Ulysses Kyllar.

Name: Ervan Frost  
Age: 25  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: March 15  
Occupation: Judge  
Creator: Shiny  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Flirting, going on dates  
Dislikes: Criminals  
Ervan is the flirtatious twin brother to Eriko. He works as a judge and strives to find the truth in all cases he presides over. He acts as the judge for the first two cases. He acts serious and dutiful in court, but when not there, he enjoys hitting on men and women alike, though he only shows true interest in men. He grew up with his sister and uncle, the latter of whom was a clockmaker.

Name: KJ Jett  
Age: 19  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: October 2  
Occupation: Bailiff-in-training  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Venus, his job  
Dislikes: Blood  
KJ is Venus' boyfriend and a bailiff-in-training at the local courthouse. He is close with Yuri, Venus, Cassidy, and Cotoli and often tries to help them out. He and Venus fell in love during the GC-9 incident two years before and have been close ever since. He was saddened incredibly by her death and still does all he can to help the people of the agency in her memory.

Name: Chrysalis Starr  
Age: 17  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: October 17  
Occupation: Student  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout Breakdown  
Likes: Her siblings, Venus  
Dislikes: Oracle, Occisor  
Chrysalis is the youngest sister of Cotoli, Pieter, and Sora. She grew up only with her oldest brother and has come to be overly dependent on him. She's quiet, sarcastic, and has trust issues, rarely opening up to people, but those who win her trust are met with a kind and smart girl who wants the best for them. She shows this side to Anton in Turnabout Breakdown. She had an unrequited crush on Venus before her death and struggles to let her go.

Name: Deirdre Brigit  
Age: 20  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: November 25  
Occupation: Defense attorney  
Creator: Ace  
First Appearance: Turnabout Breakdown  
Likes: Her sister, her dog  
Dislikes: Alcohol, drunk drivers  
Deirdre is the second attorney Cotoli brought on to help him at the agency. She fosters a close relationship with Yuri, as the two always take on cases together. Deirdre is solemn and quiet, but she isn't harsh to anyone either unless they earn her ire. She lives with her older sister Moira, who was paralyzed after their family was in a car crash a few years before. Said car crash also killed their parents in what was dubbed a 'tragic accident'. They also have a dog named Kiki, who takes care of Moira while Deirdre is out working.

Name: Pandora Rell  
Age: 21  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: August 14  
Occupation: Assistant to prison warden  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout Breakdown  
Likes: Metal Mercenary, Monsieur Cat  
Dislikes: Staying up late  
Pandora is a worker at the local prison. She ends up being a critical witness in Turnabout Breakdown due to her extensive knowledge of the prison. Despite working in a place as dreary as jail, Pandora is rather bright and optimistic. She's also known for being a bit quirky and is close friends with the Chief of Police, Hunter Bright. They often go to lunch together when they get the chance

Name: Toby Erikson  
Age: 35  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: July 5  
Occupation: Homicide detective  
Creator: Ace  
First Appearance: Turnabout Breakdown  
Likes: His daughter, his old friend Amelia  
Dislikes: Murderers  
Toby is a detective and close friend of Vera. In his childhood, he became close friends with Vera's older sister Amelia, but after her death, he grew upset and vowed to find the truth. He still searches for it today, even if he has had no success thus far. Toby was once married, but his wife Janet died years ago when giving birth to their daughter, Mukuro.

Name: Jo Jade  
Age: 26  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: March 2  
Occupation: Homicide detective  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout Breakdown  
Likes: Candy, investigating  
Dislikes: Spicy foods  
Jo is a detective working at the local precinct. She briefly worked alongside Toby in the case of Buff Guiy's murder. While not around for very long, she seems experienced despite her youth. After the brief period where she appeared, she presumably was taken off the case to work on something else, though the truth is unknown until the final phase of the book.

Name: Ulysses Kyllar  
Age: 36  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: September 20  
Occupation: Prison guard  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout Breakdown  
Likes: Being alone, death  
Dislikes: Any inconvenience  
Ulysses Kyllar is a prison guard working under Pandora. He is known for being dark and rude to most people he encounters. Despite seeming to know what he's doing, he was never truly a prison guard. In truth, Ulysses is a member of the murderous group Occisor. He killed Buff Guiy in the second murder case before making his escape. Afterwards, he went missing and wasn't seen until Sakura was taken hostage.

Name: Felicity Amaya  
Age: 24  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: October 4  
Occupation: Defense attorney  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: The Disastrous Turnabout  
Likes: Giving people nicknames, her brother  
Dislikes: People who doubt her  
Felicity is Sky's twin sister and the defendant in case three. She came under suspicion for killing Jackson Blocker after he refused to hire her. Felicity is a bright girl who enjoys giving people nicknames. She tends to joke around a lot, making her contrast greatly with her serious brother. She can get down to business when need be though. She also likes lording it over Sky that she was born first.

Name: Sky Amaya  
Age: 24  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: October 4  
Occupation: Defense attorney  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: The Disastrous Turnabout  
Likes: His sister  
Dislikes: Being teased  
Sky is Felicity's twin brother. He hired Cotoli and Venus to defend her after she was accused of murder. He's more serious than his sister, but he still enjoys being around her. Despite being younger, he is the more mature of the two and feels it is his duty to make sure Felicity doesn't get into trouble, not that it helps much given that trouble seems intent on finding her no matter what.

Name: Estelle Burns  
Age: 18  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: June 10  
Occupation: Student  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: The Disastrous Turnabout  
Likes: Drawing  
Dislikes: Confrontation  
Estelle is a quiet girl and a witness in the murder of Jackson Blocker. She was close with the victim prior to his death. She has large amounts of anxiety, making approaching her a bit of a challenge. While originally thought to be a normal girl, she was exposed to be the Oracle of the Law during the trial. She received cuts to the back of her hands thanks to Colin Asasm following the dramatic exposure.

Name: Ghastly Bespoke  
Age: 24  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: October 7  
Occupation: Chief prosecutor  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: The Disastrous Turnabout  
Likes: His wife and adopted daughter, his signature knife  
Dislikes: Polly's berating  
Ghastly is the chief prosecutor of the district and Sora's boyfriend. He is Niamh's adoptive father as well. He's a coolheaded individual, almost to a peculiar extent. Despite his job, he enjoys sleeping more than being awake. He often earns the anger of Polly, his coworker and close friend, for this. He and Cotoli are close friends. They dated at one point two years ago, though they eventually settled on seeing other people and have remained best friends.

Name: Cassidy Rinko  
Age: 15  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: January 19  
Occupation: Student  
Creators: Digital and Phoenix  
First Appearance: The Disastrous Turnabout  
Likes: Her sisters, reading  
Dislikes: Blood  
Cassidy is the middle Rinko sister and the assistant to Ghastly. She met him two years prior and stuck by him as his personal assistant once he became chief prosecutor. She's shy and easily frightened, but she has a strong sense of justice and wants to find the truth above all else. She has a frail constitution and is prone to illness. She was later murdered by Masa Stabbin in case five.

Name: Jackson Blocker  
Age: 47  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: September 1  
Occupation: Defense attorney  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: The Disastrous Turnabot  
Likes: His daughter  
Dislikes: Injustices of all kinds  
Jackson Blocker was a defense attorney of local fame. He owned his own law agency before his death. He revealed the existence of the Oracle of the Law in a public interview a year before his murder at the hands of Colin Asasm. He was known for being an associate of Oracle, which ultimately brought him to his untimely demise. He has a daughter named Hannah Blocker, who attends Blackgate High School in Chrysalis' grade.

Name: Colin Asasm  
Age: 39  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: July 1  
Occupation: Unemployed  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: The Disastrous Turnabout  
Likes: Violence  
Dislikes: Oracle  
Colin Asasm is the culprit behind Jackson Blocker's murder and a member of Occisor. He holds a strong grudge against Oracle and wants to see their life ended for the inconvenience they cause to Occisor. He escaped after cutting Estelle's hands, marking her as his quarry. He wasn't caught until a year later when Buddy and Neptune stormed the airplane he and his companions were hiding in.

Name: Ophani Diaphan  
Age: 29  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: June 12  
Occupation: Judge  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: The Disastrous Turnabout  
Likes: Reading, the quiet  
Dislikes: Taking off her mask  
Ophani is a judge in the local district. She presided over the murders of Jackson Blocker and Braylee Stern. She is strict and solemn, refusing to let anyone get too close. She has a strong sense of justice and does her best to look at things from an objective standpoint. She is known for her fair judgement and impassive behavior both in and out of the courtroom. Her face was badly scarred in an unidentified incident years before, hence why she wears the mask.

Name: Vito Cruz  
Age: 21  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: January 12  
Occupation: Prosecutor  
Creator: Ace  
First Appearance: Turnabout on the Waves  
Likes: His family, being right  
Dislikes: Dishonest people  
Vito is a temperamental prosecutor working under Ghastly. He and Roberto are the prosecutors behind the murder of Jules Stigate. He is easily angered and prefers working alone. Despite this, he does his best to put his anger aside for the greater good. His younger sister, Nikki, is a pop star known for her singing. Vito is of Italian heritage and follows after his father, Luis, who is also a prosecutor.

Name: Niamh Wood  
Age: 14  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: June 8  
Occupation: Prosecutor  
Creator: Ace  
First Appearance: Turnabout on the Waves  
Likes: Prosecuting  
Dislikes: Knives  
Niamh is the adopted daughter of Sora and Ghastly as well as a prosecutor in the local district. Despite her youth, Niamh is a prodigy and thus very good at her job. She has severe anxiety that prevents her from taking on cases more frequently. When she has brief bouts of confidence, she is often embarrassed after the fact. She once went to a school for talented children, but a series of incidents had her wind up with Sora and Ghastly.

Name: Sora Lin  
Age: 22  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: August 1  
Occupation: Prosecutor  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout on the Waves  
Likes: Family, singing  
Dislikes: Being interrupted  
Sora is the doting girlfriend of Ghastly and Niamh's adoptive mother. She is also the younger half-sister of Cotoli and Pieter and the older half-sister of Chrysalis. Sora is bright and caring, often doting on her family members to an excessive degree. She has an angelic singing voice honed by her birth mother. She was adopted by Tora Yin and Jay Yang, a prosecutor and defense attorney respectively, following her mother's unfortunate murder.

Name: Vera Wattson  
Age: 31  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: December 23  
Occupation: Homicide detective  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: Turnabout on the Waves  
Likes: Toby, detective work  
Dislikes: Rudeness  
Vera is Toby's coworker and a detective at the local precinct. She is the younger sister of Amelia, the idol of Toby's youth. The two grew close over the years because of this. She has feelings for him, but he doesn't seem to pick up on it. She is talented at her job but has declined many offers to rise in the ranks to remain at Toby's side. Her outfit was put together by his daughter. She was once Joe's partner before he became the head of Interpol.

Name: Neptune Mercure  
Age: 19  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: May 18  
Occupation: Private detective  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout on the Waves  
Likes: Investigating  
Dislikes: Secrets  
Neptune is a private investigator and a companion to Buddy. She is friendly and outgoing, easily getting along with most people around her. Following the death of Venus, she became close friends with Cassidy and later Chrysalis. Despite not seeming to be involved with Oracle, she knows who they really are after having figured it out on her own time.

Name: Sakura Rai (O)  
Age: 27  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: April 12  
Occupation: Interpol agent  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout on the Waves  
Likes: Playing video games  
Dislikes: Loud noises  
Sakura is an Interpol agent later exposed to be Oracle. She's quiet and a bit spacey, not the most focused despite her occupation. She visited Neptune after hearing she knew the truth, though the two couldn't come to an agreement on what to do with this information. Sakura was kidnapped by Occisor when they discovered who she really was through the use of Braylee Stern's paperwork. Following the incident, she was never seen again.

Name: Eriko Frost  
Age: 25  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: March 15  
Occupation: Judge  
Creator: Shiny  
First Appearance: Turnabout on the Waves  
Likes: Reading, the quiet  
Dislikes: Criminals  
Eriko is Ervan's twin sister and a judge in the district. She comes off as someone rude, but she is a kind soul at heart. She is strict and always gets down to business immediately, not one for wasting time. She can be a bit blunt since she isn't the type to sugar coat things, though she doesn't mean to be cruel. She often has to keep her brother in check due to his flirtatious habits.

Name: Jules Stigate  
Age: 41  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: August 29  
Occupation: Private investigator  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout on the Waves  
Likes: Sexy women  
Dislikes: People butting into his space  
Jules Stigate is a private investigator and the victim of the fourth case. He was known for being inappropriate towards women at times, which eventually led to his downfall. He stole Neptune's bag when they crossed paths, causing her to be accused of his murder. Tammy Ghunshotte was the one responsible for his death. The integrity of his work has been called into question since due to his habit of harassment.

Name: Tammy Ghunshotte  
Age: 33  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: July 18  
Occupation: Detective  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout on the Waves  
Likes: Trying on new clothing  
Dislikes: Those who find her attractive  
Tammy Ghunshotte is a detective and the culprit behind Jules Stigate's murder. Her appearance often earns her the attention of men, which she can use against them in the long run. Her victim's creepy behavior towards her resulted in his death. She ultimately killed him to get her hands on the bag he stole from Neptune. She escaped from the courtroom during Neptune's trial and wasn't seen again until months later when she was finally caught and arrested.

Name: Amy Kalles  
Age: 26  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: September 30  
Occupation: Prosecutor  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: The Festive Turnabout  
Likes: Mentoring others  
Dislikes: Oracle  
Amy is a warm prosecutor who mentors Niamh during the case where Cotoli is arrested. She treats Niamh with constant respect and wants the best for her. She is old friends with Cotoli and decides to prosecute him to ensure no evidence is falsified. Despite her sweet exterior, Amy harbors a deep dislike of Oracle she scarcely mentions.

Name: Masa Stabbin  
Age: 35  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: November 28  
Occupation: Ferris wheel operator  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: The Festive Turnabout  
Likes: Being sarcastic  
Dislikes: Excitable people  
Masa Stabbin is a carnival worker at the Happy House Carnival and Cassidy's murderer. He's dark and cynical, often approaching the world with a pessimistic and borderline nihilistic outlook. He Isn't fond of many people and prefers his own company. He is shown to be far more expressive when holding Sakura hostage in the final case, though this expression seems to be a bit more murderous than one would have hoped.

Name: Joe Ashen (M)  
Age: 26  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: May 12  
Occupation: Head of Interpol  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: The Undercover Turnabout  
Likes: Drew, Vera  
Dislikes: Corruption  
Joe is the head of Interpol and the boyfriend of Drew, even if they aren't very outspoken about their relationship. He used to work alongside Vera as her partner before being promoted to head of Interpol. He was promoted following the outing of the head of Interpol for corruption. He worked alongside N and Oracle to weed out the traitors selling out the company. He's stern at times, but he has a soft spot for Drew.

Name: Drew Self (N)  
Age: 22  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: November 29  
Occupation: Second-in-command of Interpol  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: The Undercover Turnabout  
Likes: Joe  
Dislikes: Cars  
Drew is the second-in-command to Joe and an agent under the letter of N. Drew is somewhat jumpy and awkward, easily scared by most things. He was once a troublemaker, but he has since turned over a new leaf and has a strong sense of justice. He has a horrible fear of cars, having a panic attack when having to ride in one. Joe often goes with him to help him calm down. Drew and Joe are in a committed relationship as well.

Name: Braylee Stern (Y)  
Age: 33  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: November 21  
Occupation: Interpol agent  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: The Undercover Turnabout  
Likes: Investigating peculiar cases  
Dislikes: What she deems 'boring'  
Braylee Stern was an agent of Interpol working under M and N. She was one of the leaders of the Oracle investigation alongside O. She eventually discovered who Oracle really was and closed herself off from everyone in response. She was killed for her research on Oracle when Occisor discovered the truth. Alexandra Murdayre did the deed that had her die in the finale of the novel.

Name: Julia Kirigiri (D)  
Age: 25  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: November 24  
Occupation: Interpol agent  
Creator: Ace  
First Appearance: The Undercover Turnabout  
Likes: Sebastian, investigation  
Dislikes: Her 'assistant' Felix  
Julia is an Interpol agent and Sebastian's love interest. She's serious and prefers her own company. She is a strong investigator with deductive reasoning allowing her to solve most cases. She hides her emotions from most people. She became a witness by chance to the murder of Braylee Stern. Despite Sebastian's persistent pining after her, she doesn't notice his feelings and views him as a close friend.

Name: Sebastian Walker (Q)  
Age: 24  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: November 8  
Occupation: Interpol technology agent  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: The Undercover Turnabout  
Likes: Julia, technology  
Dislikes: Julia's 'assistant'  
Sebastian is an agent running the technology branch of Interpol. He goes by the letter Q. He's a master of technology and has invented a variety of devices for the company to use. He's a bit awkward, especially when it comes to Julia, who he has romantic feelings for. He has two cats named Marinette and Adrien (named after a favorite TV show of his), who he loves with all his heart. He's also the boss of Buddy.

Name: Buddy Bradshaw (X)  
Age: 18  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: November 14  
Occupation: Interpol technology agent  
Creator: Ace  
First Appearance: The Undercover Turnabout  
Likes: Hacking, his robots  
Dislikes: Assassins  
Buddy is a technology agent working under Q. He's a prodigy in his field of technology, second only to Q. He has also built a bunch of small devices, namely his two robots, Stalkuma and Stalkomi. He lives with the two of them, his bosses, and Neptune. The circumstances under which they met are unknown. He eventually helped her track down Occisor to save Oracle and the other hostages. He met his future girlfriend, Clarith Blake, through this.

Name: Alexandra Murdayre  
Age: 34  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: April 12  
Occupation: Assassin  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: The Undercover Turnabout  
Likes: Her fellow assassins  
Dislikes: Oracle  
Alexandra Murdayre is the de facto leader of Occisor. She hadn't made a public appearance until the death of Braylee Stern, where she was spotted by Julia. Afterwards, she has her coworkers kidnap Sakura and hold her hostage alongside roughly twelve others. She communicated the most through the TV out of the quintet of assassins. Upon being caught and arrested, she confessed to her crimes, but she vowed the end had not yet arrived.

Name: Oracle  
Age: Unknown  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: Unknown  
Occupation: Spy  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Unknown  
Dislikes: Unknown  
Oracle is the name given to the mysterious spy working behind the scenes of the legal system. Her identity is unknown, though one of her aliases was confirmed to be Estelle Burns. She has cuts on the back of her hands. Roberto theorized Shayla Willows was another disguise, which was confirmed to be true by Oracle herself in the final stages of the novel. She wants to find the culprits behind the murder of Natasha Morix as well as to track down her lost coworker, Pieter Fury.

Name: Pieter Fury  
Age: 23  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: April 2  
Occupation: Defense attorney  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: N/A (Mentioned only)  
Likes: His adopted siblings, Natasha Morix  
Dislikes: Assassins  
Pieter is the younger brother of Cotoli and the older brother of Sora and Chrysalis. He is related to them through Cotoli's mother. She adopted him after a mysterious incident he refused to talk about. Following her death, he revealed himself to Cotoli and his half-siblings. He grew incredibly close with Chrysalis and took care of her for a brief period before going mysteriously missing. He hasn't been seen in over two years.

Name: Natasha Morix  
Age: Deceased  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: July 6  
Occupation: Factory worker  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: N/A (Mentioned only)  
Likes: Her children  
Dislikes: Her former husband  
Natasha Morix was the mother of Cotoli, though she looked after Chrysalis during her childhood and later took Pieter under her wing. She was kind and caring to all four of her children and wanted them to be happy above all else. She was murdered by Occisor two years prior to the book which caused the Oracle of the Law project to begin. She was loved by all her coworkers.

MAJOR SPOILER PROFILES BELOW. DO NOT READ FURTHER UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED WHOLE BOOK.

Name: Chrysalis Starr  
Age: 17  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: October 17  
Occupation: Spy  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Her siblings, Venus  
Dislikes: Occisor  
Chrysalis puts on a façade of disliking Oracle to keep her involvement with the project hidden. Her aliases include Shayla Willows, Jo Jade, Estelle Burns, Amy Kalles, and Sakura Rai. Estelle and Sakura have since been abandoned due to their exposure in cases three and six. She blames herself quietly for Venus' death, but she presses on regardless to find the truth behind Pieter's disappearance and Natasha Morix's murder. Natasha acted as her motherly figure in life, and out of loyalty to her, Chrysalis wants to find the truth more than anything.

Name: Cotoli Morix  
Age: 24  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: December 14  
Occupation: Defense attorney  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: His sisters, Polly  
Dislikes: Occisor, his mother's killers  
While he seems to be the regular owner of Morix Law Offices, Cotoli is far from being normal. He works as the second-in-command of the Oracle project, a position he shared with Venus up until her death. His goals are to find the killers of his mother while still protecting his younger sister from the harm that plagues her.

Name: Ghastly Bespoke  
Age: 24  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: October 7  
Occupation: Chief prosecutor  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: The Disastrous Turnabout  
Likes: His wife and adopted daughter, his signature knife  
Dislikes: Polly's berating  
Ghastly was dragged into the project upon hearing about it from Cotoli. Due to the corruption he had seen in the Prosecutor's Office involving forged evidence and false convictions, Ghastly decided to help them weed out corruption. His helping resulted in the previous chief prosecutor being arrested for evidence forgery, which gained him his position, making him the first chief prosecutor in years to use completely honest means in court.

Name: Polly Burke  
Age: 23  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: February 21  
Occupation: Prosecutor  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Anton, being right  
Dislikes: Criminals  
Polly was dragged into the Oracle of the Law project through her boyfriend, Cotoli, and childhood companion, Ghastly, both of whom were accomplices. She helps Ghastly gather information from the Prosecutor's Office deemed necessary to capture killers and bring them to justice. Despite her rough exterior, she cares for the project and will protect it for Cotoli's sake. Her son is unaware of her status as an associate.

Name: Venus Rinko  
Age: 19  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: February 1  
Occupation: Legal assistant at Morix Law Offices  
Creators: Digital and Phoenix  
First Appearance: Turnabout Ignition  
Likes: Her sisters, ice skating  
Dislikes: Killers  
Venus was the second-in-command to Oracle before her death. She acted as a shoulder for Chrysalis to cry on when things got tough as well as a mediator when she pushed herself too hard. She was supportive of her friend to the end and wanted only the best for her. Even in death, she undoubtedly feels the same way. For some reason, she is unable to be channeled by any mediums. Lily, Chrysalis, and Sora have all attempted and failed.

Name: Cassidy Rinko  
Age: 15  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: January 19  
Occupation: Student  
Creators: Digital and Phoenix  
First Appearance: The Disastrous Turnabout  
Likes: Her sisters, reading  
Dislikes: Blood  
Cassidy was a member of the Oracle team before her murder. She learned about it through Venus and decided to help. A few months before the establishment of the project, Cassidy was nearly wrongly convicted due to corruption in the Prosecutor's Office, which ultimately convinced her to join the cause. It eventually caused her murder. Much like Venus, she is unable to be channeled despite the attempts of Lily, Chrysalis, and Sora.

Name: Sora Lin  
Age: 22  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: August 1  
Occupation: Prosecutor  
Creator: Digital  
First Appearance: Turnabout on the Waves  
Likes: Family, singing  
Dislikes: Being interrupted  
Sora joined the project early on to help her siblings in finding the killer behind Natasha Morix's murder. While she never was too close with Natasha, she wanted to help them for the sake of closure. Sora's sweet personality make it easy for her to gather much information from unassuming suspects, helping the project in the long run. She acts as a source of motherly comfort for the group as well.

Name: Pieter Fury  
Age: 23  
Gender: Male  
Birthday: April 2  
Occupation: Defense attorney  
Creator: Hatty  
First Appearance: N/A (Mentioned only)  
Likes: His adopted siblings, Natasha Morix  
Dislikes: Assassins  
Pieter acted as a member of the Oracle project for the brief period where he was with his siblings. He acted as an encouraging voice for Chrysalis before his disappearance, urging her forward with positivity. He went missing a mere month after the project began fully. He was last seen in Germany and was the reason Chrysalis attempted to travel there in the final case. The trail has since gone cold.

**Author's Note:**

> A new story! Awesome!  
> I'll need to keep things brief because of character restrictions but here's the character credit for the characters that have appeared so far:  
> Mine: Cotoli Morix, Shayla Willows  
> My girlfriend's: Ervan Frost, Lily Shield, Roberto Shield  
> Our pal: Polly Bloom, Anton Burke  
> Our friend: None yet  
> A third and final companion: Venus Rinko  
> I'll be updating this quite a bit, likely when a new character shows up each time. I'm going to try and post daily until I finish up my update dump (which is roughly thirty chapters as of now). I hope you're ready for a bunch of content and emotion!  
> \- Digital


End file.
